Long-term results of donor-specific blood transfusion with cyclosporine inliving related kidney transplantation

Donor-specific blood transfusion (DST) was introduced to achieve better gra ft survival. However, its benefits are controversial considering the immuno suppression of cyclosporine (CYA) or tacrolimus (Tac), and its long-term ef fects have not been well discussed. Of the 40 patients who received DST wit h CYA, 3 (7.5%) became crossmatch positive. Of the 37 patients with negativ e crossmatch, 34 patients received a one-haplotype-matched kidney and were compared to patients with one-haplotype-matched kidney transplant without p reoperative DST (n = 13). Acute rejection within 3 months after transplant was 29.4% in the DST group, and 15.4% in the non-DST group. All rejection e pisodes were steroid resistant in the non-DST group. If the graft survival rates were calculated excluding non-immunological graft loss, graft surviva l rate was 91.0 and 72.8% at 5 and 10 yea rs in the DST group, and 83.3% at 5 and 10 years in the non-DST group, respectively. The two graft survival lines converged 7 years and 7 months after transplantation. No beneficial e ffect of DSI was statistically evident under CYA immunosuppression. In term s of the severity of acute rejection or the onset of chronic rejection, DST induced a small benefit, however, which seemed to disappear within 8 years after transplantation. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.