Preemptive living donor kidney transplantation:Access,fate,and review of the status in

BACKGROUND Preemptive living donor kidney transplantation(PLDKT)is recommended as the optimal treatment for end-stage renal disease.AIM To assess the rate of PLDKT among patients who accessed KT in our center and review the status of PLDKT in Egypt.METHODS We performed a retrospective review of the patients who accessed KT in our center from November 2015 to November 2022.In addition,the PLDKT status in Egypt was reviewed relative to the literature.RESULTS Of the 304 patients who accessed KT,32 patients(10.5%)had preemptive access to KT(PAKT).The means of age and estimated glomerular filtration rate were 31.7±13 years and 12.8±3.5 mL/min/1.73 m2,respectively.Fifty-nine patients had KT,including 3 PLDKTs only(5.1%of total KTs and 9.4%of PAKT).Twenty-nine patients(90.6%)failed to receive PLDKT due to donor unavailability(25%),exclusion(28.6%),regression from donation(3.6%),and patient regression on starting dialysis(39.3%).In multivariate analysis,known primary kidney disease(P=0.002),patient age(P=0.031)and sex(P=0.001)were independent predictors of achievement of KT in our center.However,PAKT was not significantly(P=0.065)associated with the achievement of KT.Review of the literature revealed lower rates of PLDKT in Egypt than those in the literature.CONCLUSION Patient age,sex,and primary kidney disease are independent predictors of achieving living donor KT.Despite its non-significant effect,PAKT may enhance the low rates of PLDKT.The main causes of non-achievement of PLDKT were patient regression on starting regular dialysis and donor unavailability or exclusion.

Pre-emptive live donor kidney transplantation-moving barriers to opportunities:An ethical,legal and psychological aspects of organ transplantation view

Live donor kidney transplantation(LDKT)is the optimal treatment modality for end stage renal disease(ESRD),enhancing patient and graft survival.Pre-emptive LDKT,prior to requirement for renal replacement therapy(RRT),provides further advantages,due to uraemia and dialysis avoidance.There are a number of potential barriers and opportunities to promoting pre-emptive LDKT.Significant infrastructure is needed to deliver robust programmes,which varies based on socio-economic standards.National frameworks can impact on national prioritisation of pre-emptive LDKT and supporting education programmes.Focus on other programme’s components,including deceased kidney transplantation and RRT,can also hamper uptake.LDKT programmes are designed to provide maximal benefit to the recipient,which is specifically true for pre-emptive transplantation.Health care providers need to be educated to maximize early LDKT referral.Equitable access for varying population groups,without socioeconomic bias,also requires prioritisation.Cultural barriers,including religious influence,also need consideration in developing successful outcomes.In addition,the benefit of pre-emptive LDKT needs to be emphasised,and opportunities provided to potential donors,to ensure timely and safe work-up processes.Recipient education and preparation for pre-emptive LDKT needs to ensure increased uptake.Awareness of the benefits of pre-emptive transplantation require prioritisation for this population group.We recommend an approach where patients approaching ESRD are referred early to pre-transplant clinics facilitating early discussion regarding pre-emptive LDKT and potential donors for LDKT are prioritized for work-up to ensure success.Education regarding preemptive LDKT should be the norm for patients approaching ESRD,appropriate for the patient’s cultural needs and physical status.Pre-emptive transplantation maximize benefit to potential recipients,with the potential to occur within successful service delivery.To fully embrace preemptive transplantation as the norm,investment in infrastructure,increased awareness,and donor and recipient support is required.

Robot-assisted kidney transplantation:Is it getting ready for prime time?

Kidney transplantation(KT)is the treatment of choice for patients with end-stage renal disease,providing a better survival rate and quality of life compared to dialysis.Despite the progress in the medical management of KT patients,from a purely surgical standpoint,KT has resisted innovations during the last 50 years.Recently,robot-assisted KT(RAKT)has been proposed as an alternative approach to open surgery,especially due to its potential benefits for fragile and immunocompromised recipients.It was not until 2014 that the role of RAKT has found value thanks to the pioneering Vattikuti Urology Institute-Medanta collaboration that conceptualized and developed a new surgical technique for RAKT following the Idea,Development,Exploration,Assessment,Long-term follow-up recommendations for introducing surgical innovations into real-life practice.During the last years,mirroring the Vattikuti-Medanta technique,several centers developed RAKT program worldwide,providing strong evidence about the safety and the feasibility of this procedure.However,the majority of RAKT are still performed in the living donor setting,as an“eligible”procedure,while only a few centers have realized KT through a robotic approach in the challenging scenario of cadaver donation.In addition,despite the spread of minimally-invasive(predominantly robotic)surgery worldwide,many KTs are still performed in an open fashion.Regardless of the type of incision employed by surgeons,open KT may lead to nonnegligible risks of wound complications,especially among obese patients.Particularly,the assessment for KT should consider not only the added surgical technical challenges but also the higher risk of postoperative complications.In this context,robotic surgery could offer several benefits,including providing a better exposure of the surgical field and better instrument maneuverability,as well as the possibility to integrate other technological nuances,such as the use of intraoperative fluorescence vascular imaging with indocyanine green to assess the ureteral vascularization before the uretero-vesical anastomosis.Therefore,our review aims to report the more significant experiences regarding RAKT,focusing on the results and future perspectives.

Older candidates for kidney transplantation:Who to refer and what to expect?

The number of older end-stage renal disease patients being referred for kidney transplantation continues to increase. This rise is occurring alongside the continually increasing prevalence of older end-stage renal disease patients. Although older kidney transplant recipients have decreased patient and graft survival compared to younger patients, transplantation in this patient population is pursued due to the survival advantage that it confers over remaining on the deceased donor waiting list. The upper limit of age and the extent of comorbidity and frailty at which transplantation ceases to be advantageous is not known. Transplant physicians are therefore faced with the challenge of determining who among older patients are appropriate candidates for kidney transplantation. This is usually achieved by means of an organ systemsbased medical evaluation with particular focus given to cardiovascular health. More recently, global measures of health such as functional status and frailty are increasingly being recognized as potential tools in risk stratifying kidney transplant candidates. For those candidates who are deemed eligible, living donor transplantation should be pursued. This may mean accepting a kidney from an older living donor. In the absence of any living donor, the choice to accept lesser quality kidneys should be made while taking into account the organ shortage and expected waiting times on the deceased donor list. Appropriate counseling of patients should be a cornerstone in the evaluation process and includes a discussion regarding expected outcomes, expected waiting times in the setting of the new Kidney Allocation System, benefits of living donor transplantation and the acceptance of lesser quality kidneys.

Increasing access to kidney transplantation for sensitized recipient through three-way kidney paired donation with desensitization: The first Indian report

The combination of kidney paired donation(KPD) with desensitization represents a promising method of increasing the rate of living donor kidney transplantation(LDKT) in immunologically challenging patients. Patients who are difficult to match and desensitize due to strong donor specific antibody are may be transplanted by a combination of desensitization and KPD protocol with more immunologically favorable donor. We present our experience of combination of desensitization protocol with three-way KPD which contributed to successful LDKT in highly sensitized end stage renal disease patient. All recipients were discharged with normal and stable allograft function at 24 mo follow up. We believe that this is first report from India where three-way KPD exchange was performed with the combination of KPD and desensitization. The combination of desensitization protocol with KPD improves access and outcomes of LDKT.

Reasons and effects of the decline of willing related potential living kidney donors

BACKGROUND Although the availability of related living donors(LDs)provides a better chance for receiving kidney transplantation(KT),the evaluation protocols for LD selection remain a safeguard for the LD’s safety.These protocols are variable from one center to another,resulting in variable rates of decline of the potential LDs(PLDs).The decline of willing PLDs may occur at any stage of evaluation,starting from the initial contact and counseling to the day of operation.AIM To identify the causes of the decline of PLDs,the predictors of PLD candidacy,and the effect on achieving LDKT.METHODS A retrospective study was performed on the willing PLDs who attended our outpatient clinic for kidney donation to their related potential recipients between October 2015 and December 2022.The variables influencing their candidacy rate and the fate of their potential recipients were studied.Two groups of PLDs were compared:Candidate PLDs after a completed evaluation vs non-candidate PLDs with a complete or incomplete evaluation.A multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the factors contributing to the achievement of PLD candidacy.RESULTS Of 321 willing PLDs,257 PLDs(80.1%)accessed the evaluation to variable extents for 212 potential recipients,with a mean age(range)of 40.5±10.4(18-65)years,including 169 females(65.8%).The remaining 64 PLDs(19.9%)did not access the evaluation.Only 58 PLDs(18.1%)succeeded in donating,but 199 PDLs(62.0%)were declined;exclusion occurred in 144 PLDs(56.0%)for immunological causes(37.5%),medical causes(54.9%),combined causes(9.7%),and financial causes(2.1%).Regression and release occurred in 55 PLDs(17.1%).The potential recipients with candidate PLDs were not significantly different from those with non-candidate PLDs,except in age(P=0.041),rates of completed evaluation,and exclusion of PLDs(P<0.001).There were no factors that independently influenced the rate of PLD candidacy.Most patients who failed to have KT after the decline of their PLDs remained on hemodialysis for 6 mo to 6 years.CONCLUSION The rate of decline of willing related PLDs was high due to medical or immunological contraindications,release,or regression of PLDs.It reduced the chances of high percentages of potential recipients in LDKT.

Renal function of donors and recipients after living donor kidney transplantation in a Chinese cohort

Background Living donor kidney transplantation （LKT） has been booming in China. This study aimed to elucidate the renal function of both Chinese donors and recipients after the donation and transplantation. Methods One hundred and forty-one pairs of donors and recipients for LKT were randomly selected and followed up for up to seven years. The donors＇ and recipients＇ renal function was recorded before and after operation. Results The donors presented a mean age of （43.9±7.5） years at donation. The female contributed 101/141 （71.6%） in all donors, and no effect was shown between genders on healthy donors＇ renal function. The donors＇ glomerular filtration rates （GFR） were （119.5±20.4） ml/min, （85.2±17.6） ml/min, （87.2±15.9） ml/min, （82.1±14.6） ml/min and （83.0±13.7） ml/min preoperatively, and for five days, three months, one year and beyond one year after the operation. The donors for the period of 1-3 years, 3-5 years and more than 5 years after donation showed GFR as （83.9±12.7） ml/min, （83.0±17.6） ml/min, and （80.9±20.8） ml/min, respectively, no statistically significant difference was found. Moreover, no significant clinical changes in blood pressure and proteinuria were found among the donors. In the recipients, delayed graft function （DGF） rate was 6.4%, acute rejection rate was 11.3%, and GFR were （66.5±16.4） ml/min, （73.2±19.6） ml/min and （63.9±18.6） ml/min respectively at three months, one year and beyond one year post-transplantation respectively. Conclusion The donors/recipients of LKT in Chinese population experience well-functioning remaining/donor kidneys.

Marginal living donor in kidney transplantation： experience in a Chinese single center

Background Living donor kidney transplantation is becoming popular in China, whereas, in clinical situations, some kidney donors may be sub-optimal, namely marginal living donor. The present study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of marginal living donor kidney transplantation in a Chinese single center. Methods Between January 2001 and December 2009, 888 kidney transplantations were performed in our center; 149 were living donor kidney transplantations. The living donors and recipients were followed up regularly after the operation. Of the living donors, 30 donors were marginal, who were older than 60 years or suffered from kidney anomaly or some benign diseases. Among the non-marginal living kidney transplantations, 58 donors and recipients had complete peri- operative and follow-up data. We compared the marginal and non-marginal living donor kidney transplantations with regard to donor age, follow-up period, donor＇s serum creatinine at the last follow-up, recipient＇s serum creatinine at the last follow-up, and graft survival at the last follow-up. Results The mean age of donors in the marginal and non-marginal living donors were （55＋9） （37-66） and （43＋12） （30- 59） years. The mean follow-up times of the marginal and non-marginal groups were （26.4＋13.4） months and （28.8＋14.8） months. The donor and recipient serum creatinine levels at the last follow-up were （1.16＋0.20） mg/dl and （1.30＋0.24） mg/dl in the marginal group, and （1.12＋0.32） mg/dl and （1.34＋0.32） mg/dl in the non-marginal group. Three recipients in the marginal group and five recipients in the non-marginal group had acute rejection episodes during the first year. Actuarial 3-year graft survival was 96.7% in the marginal group and 100% in the non-marginal group. No significant differences were detected between the two groups with regard to these data. Conclusion Utilization of highly selective marginal living donors can be a safe, feasible, and effective way for the treatment of patients with end stage renal disease.

Investigation on the Perceptions of Living Donors regarding Spousal Renal Donor Transplantation

In Japan the average waiting time to receive a kidney from brain-dead patients or those in cardiac death is about 14 years. Therefore there is an increasing reliance of kidneys from living donor. Spouses are an important source of living-donor kidney grafts because, despite poor HLA matching, the graft-survival rate is similar to that of parental-donor kidneys. This study investigated the perceptions of living donors regarding spousal renal donor transplantation. We interviewed 8 donors about their feelings after transplantation using structured interviews. Many donors were not anxious and did not consider donation dangerous. However, in the case that the rejection occurred, as a result, transplantation was unsuccessful, the donor felt vain, and regretted that she was donor. On the other hand, total nephrectomy is often performed as a treatment for small size （4 cm or less） renal tumors and many of these nephrectomized kidneys could be successfully transplanted after surgical restoration with satisfactory results. Because of the lack of necessary evidence, it is currently not allowed in Japan. We estimated the 5-year recurrence rate of cancer after restored kidney transplantation would be less than 6%.We also asked donors the rights and wrongs for using the restored kidneys.

Living kidney donor assessment:Kidney length vs differential function

BACKGROUND The key question in living kidney donor assessment is how best to determine the contribution of each kidney to overall renal function and guide selection of which kidney to donate,ensuring safety of procedure and good outcome for both recipient and donor.It is thought that a length difference>2 cm may indicate significant difference in function and therefore need for measurement of differential function.AIM To determine the effect of using kidney length to decide which kidney to donate in a retrospective cohort of potential donors.METHODS All 333 potential living kidney donors between January 2009 and August 2018 who completed assessment were retrospectively evaluated.Donor assessment was performed as per United Kingdom guidelines.Data included age,sex,kidney length(cranio-caudal)obtained by computed tomography/ultrasonography,51-chromium ethylenediamine tetraacetatic acid measured glomerular filtration rate,mercapto acetyl tri glycine split function and vascular anatomy.There were 48 exclusions due to inadequate data or incomplete investigations.Statistical analysis was performed using Excel pivot tables and GraphPad Prism.Correlation between kidney length and differential function was determined with Pearson’s correlation coefficient.RESULTS Of 285 potential donors included in the study,there were 144 males(mean age 49.9±14.75)and 141 females(mean age 51.2±11.23).Overall,the Pearson’s correlation between differences in length and divided function of kidney pairs was 0.1630,P=0.0058.Of 73 with significant difference(>10%)in divided function,18(24.7%)had no difference in kidney length;54(74%)had a difference of<2 cm and only one of>2 cm.Using a length difference of>1 cm would only predict significant difference in divided function in 8/34(23.5%)of cases.Using a difference of>2 cm as cut off for performing split function would lead to false reassurance in 72 patients(6 had>20%difference in divided function whereas 66 had 10%-20%difference).CONCLUSION Length difference between kidney pairs alone is not sufficient to replace measurement of divided function.This issue requires a randomised controlled trial to resolve it.

Changing landscape in living kidney donation in Greece

Patients with end-stage renal disease in Greece are facing long waiting times to receive a kidney transplant from a deceased donor.Living kidney donation offers a valuable alternative that provides optimal outcomes and significantly expands the donor pool but still remains relatively underutilised.Developments around the world in the field of kidney transplantation mandate a change in current practice to include additional options for living donation through paired exchange,antibody-incompatible transplantation and other strategies,following careful consideration of the cultural and ethical factors involved in these complex clinical decisions.An increase in living donation rates may be achieved in several ways,including targeted campaigning to overcome potential barriers.Educating clinicians on transplantation will prove as equally important as informing patients and prospective donors but requires training and resources.Adoption of established practices and implementation of new strategies must be tailored to the needs of the Greek donor and recipient population.Local beliefs about donation,perception of associated risk and other social characteristics must be considered in the design of future strategies.Facilitating living donation in a safe environment with appropriate donor and recipient education will form the solid foundation of a new era of kidney transplantation in Greece.

Weight trends in United States living kidney donors:Analysis of the UNOS database

AIM: To analyze the national trends associated with body mass index(BMI) and living kidney donation.METHODS: Forty-seven thousand seven hundred and five adult living kidney donors as reported to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network from 1999 to 2011 were analyzed using their pre-donation BMI. Predictor variables of interest included age, gender, ethnicity, relationship, education status, and transplant region.RESULTS: Sixteen thousand nine hundred and seventyone of the living kidney donors were normal weight(35.6%); 19337 were overweight(40.5%); 9007 were mildly obese(18.9%); 1992 were moderate to morbidly obese(4.2%). Overweight and mildly obese kidney donors have increased through time by 12% and 20% every 5 years, respectively(P < 0.05). Donors 35-49years of age, hispanic males or females and black females, those with high school diploma or general Education Degree, and biologically related or partner/spouses were more likely to be obese.CONCLUSION: Over the past 13 years, the majority of living kidney donors have spanned the overweight to obese categories. Paralleling the national rise is an increase in overweight and mildly obese kidney donors. A fair number of moderate to morbidly obese living kidney donors are still allowed to donate.

Evaluation and treatment of marginal grafts with surgical diseases in kidney transplantation

Background Marginal renal grafts may alleviate the shortage of suitable organs to meet an increasing demand of kidney transplantation,especially when live donors are currently limited to relatives of patients in China.The aim of this study was to investigate how to increase the available donors pool,evaluation,and treatment of marginal donors.Methods We had performed 121 kidney transplantation cases with living relative donors.Five out of these cases applied marginal grafts with surgical diseases,including one renal stone,one duplex kidney,one renal leiomyoma and two cases of simple renal cysts.In each case,particular surgical interventions were exerted on the graft prior to standard engrafting procedures.Results All recipients recovered with functioning transplants given that their serum creatinine levels declined to a normal range within one week after operation.These recipients were subsequently followed up for 10 months on average and their kidney functions remained stable.Conclusions Marginal renal grafts with surgical diseases,which can be treated surgically before engrafting,may provide satisfying transplantation outcomes.Positive and cautious consideration of these grafts may increase renal donorpool.

Six end-stage renal disease patients benefited from first non-simultaneous single center 6-way kidney exchange transplantation in India

AIM To avoid desensitization protocols and ABO incompatible kidney transplantation(KT) due to high costs and increased risk of infections from intense immunosuppression.METHODS We present institutional ethical review board- approved study of single center 6-way kidney exchange transplantation. The participants comprised ABO incompatibility(n = 1); positive cross-match and/or presence of donor specific antibody(n = 5). The average time required from registration in kidney paired donation(KPD) registry to find suitable donors was 45 d and time required to perform transplants after legal permission was 2 mo. RESULTS Graft and patient survival were 100%, and 100%, respectively. One patient had biopsy-proven acute borderline T cell rejection(Banff update 2013, type 3). Mean serum creatinine was 0.8 mg/dL at 9 mo followup. The waiting time in KPD was short as compared to deceased donor KT. CONCLUSION We report first non-simultaneous, single center, 6-way kidney exchange transplantation from India. Our experience will encourage other centers in India to undertake this practice.

Adult to adult living related liver transplantation: Where do we currently stand?

Adult to adult living donor liver transplantation (AALDLT) was first preformed in the United States in 1997. The procedure was rapidly integrated into clinical practice, but in 2002, possibly due to the first widely publicized donor death, the number of living liver donors plummeted. The number of donors has since reached a steady plateau far below its initial peak. In this review we evaluate the current climate of AALDLT. Specifically, we focus on several issues key to the success of AALDLT: determining the optimal indications for AALDLT, balancing graft size and donor safety, assuring adequate outflow, minimizing biliary complications, and maintaining ethical practices. We conclude by offering suggestions for the future of AALDLT in United States transplantation centers.

Past, present and future of kidney paired donation transplantation in India

One third of healthy willing living kidney donors are rejected due to ABO blood group incompatibility and donor specific antibody. This increases pre-transplant dialysis duration leading to increased morbidity and mortality on the kidney transplantation waiting list. Over the last decade kidney paired donation is most rapidly increased source of living kidney donors. In a kidney transplantation program dominated by living donor kidney transplantation, kidney paired donation is a legal and valid alternative strategy to increase living donor kidney transplantation. This is more useful in countries with limited resources where ABO incompatible kidney transplantation or desensitization protocol is not feasible because of costs/infectious complications and deceased donor kidney transplantation is in initial stages. The matching allocation, ABO blood type imbalance, reciprocity, simultaneity, geography were the limitation for the expansion of kidney paired donation. Here we describe different successful ways to increase living donor kidney transplantation through kidney paired donation. Compatible pairs, domino chain, combination of kidney paired donation with desensitization or ABO incompatible transplantation, international kidney paired donation, nonsimultaneous, extended, altruistic donor chain and list exchange are different ways to expand the donor pool.In absence of national kidney paired donation program,a dedicated kidney paired donation team will increase access to living donor kidney transplantation in individual centres with team work. Use of social networking sites to expand donor pool, HLA based national kidney paired donation program will increase quality and quantity of kidney paired donation transplantation. Transplant centres should remove the barriers to a broader implementation of multicentre, national kidney paired donation program to further optimize potential of kidney paired donation to increase transplantation of O group and sensitized patients. This review assists in the development of similar programs in other developing countries.

International kidney paired donation transplantations to increase kidney transplant of O group and highly sensitized patient: First report from India

AIM To report the first international living related two way kidney paired donation(KPD) transplantation from India which occurred on 17 th February 2015 after legal per-mission from authorization committee. METHODS Donor recipient pairs were from Portugal and India who were highly sensitized and ABO incompatible with their spouse respectively. The two donor recipient pairs had negative lymphocyte cross-matching, flow cross-matchand donor specific antibody in two way kidney exchange with the intended KPD donor. Local KPD options were fully explored for Indian patient prior to embarking on international KPD. RESULTS Both pairs underwent simultaneous uneventful kidney transplant surgeries and creatinine was 1 mg/d L on tacrolimus based immunosuppression at 11 mo follow up. The uniqueness of these transplantations was that they are first international KPD transplantations in our center.CONCLUSION International KPD will increases quality and quantity of living donor kidney transplantation. This could be an important step to solving the kidney shortage with additional benefit of reduced costs, improved quality and increased access for difficult to match incompatible pairs like O blood group patient with non-O donor and sensitized patient. To the best of our knowledge this is first international KPD transplantation from India.

Retroperitoneal Laparoscopic Live Donor Nephrectomy:Report of 105 Cases

Retroperitoneal laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy offers an intrinsic advantage over conventional transperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy because of the potentially lower risk for early and late donor intraperitoneal complications.Herein we presented our experience performing retroperitoneal laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy in 105 donors.All donor nephrectomy was successful.There were no donor deaths and no conversion to open surgery.Mean operation time was 112 min（range,70-200 min）.Intraoperative blood loss was 10-150 mL with an average of 30 mL.Warm ischemia time was 1.3 to 6 min with an average of 3.1 min.Postoperative retroperitoneal hematoma occurred in only one case and there were no other surgical complications.Donors were discharged from the hospital 5 to 10 days postoperation.Average postoperative hospital stay was 6.4 days.One graft was removed due to acute rejection.Delayed graft function occurred in two recipients but renal function returned to normal within four weeks.The other recipients had normal renal function in two weeks except three recipients in four weeks.We believe that retroperitoneal laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy is safe,reliable,and less invasive.

Unspecified live kidney donation by urological patients

BACKGROUND Individuals with benign kidney disorders undergoing nephrectomy have three possibilities:Autotransplantation,with a certain risk of complications,but without a clear benefit;discarding the kidney;or living kidney donation.AIM To investigate whether patients with benign kidney disorders and a medical indication for nephrectomy are suitable as unspecified live kidney donors.METHODS We searched all clinical data from 1994-2019 for unspecified donors and their transplant recipients(n=160).Nine of these 160 donors had pre-existing kidney disorders necessitating nephrectomy and had decided to donate their kidney anonymously after discussing the possibility of kidney donation.We studied the clinical course of these nine donating patients and their transplant recipients.RESULTS Seven of nine donating patients indicated unbearable loin pain as the main complaint,one donating patient refused ureterocutaneostomy and one had two aneurysms of the renal artery.Postoperatively,seven donating patients described absence of pain and one a significant reduction after the nephrectomy.The average 1-year creatinine level in the donating patients was 88μmol/L and after a median of 6.9 years the average creatinine level was 86.6μmol/L.In the transplant recipients,one major complication occurred which led to death and in one transplant recipient graft function failed to normalize at first but has been stable for nine years now.Currently,all transplant recipients are off dialysis.CONCLUSION Our data show that patients undergoing nephrectomy as part of treatment in selected kidney disorders can function as live kidney donors.

Translational research and innovation in modern transplant practice:Paradigms from Greece and around the world

The continuous clinical and technological advances,together with the social,health and economic challenges that the global population faces,have created an environment where the evolution of the field of transplantation is essentially necessary.The goal of this special issue is to provide a picture of the current status of transplantation in Greece as well as in many other countries in Europe and around the world.Authors from Greece and several other countries provide us with valuable insight into their respective areas of transplant expertise,with a main focus on the field of translational research and innovation.The papers that are part of this Special Issue“Translational Research and Innovation and the current status of Transplantation in Greece”have presented innovative and meaningful approaches in modern transplant research and practice.They provide us with a clear overview of the current landscape in transplantation,including liver transplantation in the context of a major pandemic,the evolution of living donor kidney transplantation or the evolution of the effect of hepatitis C virus infection in transplantation,while at the same time explore more recent challenges,such as the issue of frailty in the transplant candidate and the changes brought by newer treatments,such as immunotherapy,in transplant oncology.Additionally,they offer us a glimpse of the effect that technological innovations,such as virtual reality,can have on transplantation,both in terms of clinical and educational aspects.Just as critical is the fact that this Special Issue emphasizes the multidisciplinary,collaborative efforts currently taking place that link transplant research and innovation with other cutting-edge disciplines such as bioengineering,advanced information technology and artificial intelligence.In this Special Issue,in addition to the clinical and research evolution of the field of transplantation,we are witnessing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in medicine.