TRANSPLANT RENAL-ARTERY STENOSIS - LONG-TERM EFFECT OF ANGIOPLASTY ONARTERIAL-PRESSURE CONTROL AND RENAL-FUNCTION

We assessed the long-term (M +/- SE : 68 +/- 3 months) arterial pressu re and renal function of cadaveric kidney transplant recipients with a nd without significant (> 70 % diameter reduction) transplant renal ar tery stenosis (TRAS) at angiography. Baseline clinical, immunological and outcome data for 26 patients with TRAS (incidence of TEAS : 6.6 %) before and following angioplasty and 72 patients without stenosis at angiography were reviewed and analyzed. The 2 groups were similar with respect to recipient sex ratio and age (45 vs 46), duration of transp lantation (7 months), cause of renal failure, donor sex and age, HLA-a ntigen mismatches and titers of anti-HLA antibodies, CMV infection and anti-CMV antibodies in donors and recipients. The technical success o f angioplasty was 92.3 %. Restenosis was documented in 6/26 patients ( 23.1 %). Revascularization resulted in a decrease of arterial pressure and number of antihypertensive medications and a lower serum creatini ne compared to baseline values. The long-term arterial pressure and se rum creatinine levels were similar in patients with and without stenos is. In conclusion, TRAS after revascularization had no detectable infl uence on the long-term arterial pressure control and renal function wi thin a follow-up period of 68 +/- 3 months.