Lumbosacral plexopathy after dual kidney transplantation

A 58-year-old man underwent dual kidney transplantation. He was unable to m ove his right leg after surgery. This was caused by extensive lumbosacral p lexopathy on the side of surgery. Lumbosacral plexopathy after kidney trans plantation is uncommon, because the plexus has rich anastomotic blood suppl y, and ischemic injury is unlikely. However, isolated femoral neuropathy af ter renal transplantation has been reported, as the distal portion of this nerve is supplied by branches of internal iliac artery only and is more pro ne to ischemic injury during surgery. Dual-kidney transplantation involves a larger dissection, and the procedure takes 60 to 90 minutes longer than s ingle-kidney transplantation. It involves more vascular reconstruction. Thi s may predispose the lumbosacral plexus to ischemic injury. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of lumbosacral plexopathy af ter a dual kidney transplantation, and this may be seen more frequently bec ause this procedure is becoming more common. (C) 2000 by the National Kidne y Foundation, Inc.