VASCULOPATHY N CYCLOSPORINE-TREATED RENAL-ALLOGRAFTS - POSSIBLE PROTECTION BY DILTIAZEM

Morphometric quantitative analysis of the renal arterioles (arteriole wall thickness and overall vessel size) in renal biopsies from 21 cada veric renal allograft recipients taken immediately prior to (0 months) and 3 months after transplantation was carried out using a computer-a ided image analyzer. Patients (n = 10) who received standard therapy ( cyclosporine, azathioprine and prednisolone) showed an increase in art eriole wall thickness at 3 months compared to 0 months (p<0.01). Patie nts (n = 11) who received standard therapy and oral diltiazem (60 mg t .d.s.) showed no such change in the arteriole wall thickness between 0 and 3 months. As cyclosporine toxicity and/or chronic vascular reject ion are associated with an increase in arteriole wall thickness, the d ifferences observed in this study may imply a protective role for dilt iazem on renal arterioles.