Renal allograft torsion associated with prune-belly syndrome

We report a 26-month-old child diagnosed with prune-belly syndrome and end-stage renal disease who received intraperitoneal implantation of an adult cadaveric renal graft which functioned very well for approximately 6 weeks. The patient then presented with acute renal failure which was proved to be secondary to torsion of the graft, twisting the artery and vein. The ureter was wrapped 360 degrees around the graft. These conditions resulted in loss of the graft and nephrectomy. Ours is the second report of such an occurrence; the first was from a living-related kidney donor. We believe the lack of abdominal wall tone contributes to graft mobility and risk of torsion of the kidney. We recommend that nephropexy be considered in these patients. In addition, the risk of torsion must be at the forefront of the differential diagnosis in a prune-belly renal transplant patient with acute onset of oliguria. Renal sonography with Doppler should be employed as soon as possible so that the graft can be saved.