Surgically treated early complications after kidney transplantation

Transplant Proc. 2003 Sep;35(6):2241-2. doi: 10.1016/s0041-1345(03)00769-3.

Abstract

Early surgical complications after kidney transplantation (KTx) remain important clinical problems. The 35 patients in whom forty-six complications appeared within 1 month required surgical treatment. The causes were divided into four groups: bleeding and/or hematoma of the perigraft region (n = 22); urological complications (n = 9); simultaneous bleeding and/or hematoma and urological complications (n = 6); and others (n = 9). Among the 28 cases of hemorrhagic complication, the source of bleeding was not localized during the reoperation in 53.7% cases. Vascular anastomotic leakage was confirmed only in 7.1% of patients. The most common urological complications were stricture of (46.7% cases) and leakage at (26.7%) the vesicoureteral anastomosis. Within 3 months after KTx nephrectomy was performed in 27.5% of patients who had been previously operated for surgical complications compared to 4.6% patients without interventions. Among patients with a single reoperation the graft had to be removed in 20.0% compared with 44.4% for those with multiple reoperations. Localization of the bleeding source causing an early perigraft hematoma is not always possible. The most common early urological complication is a vesicoureteral stricture caused by edema. Surgical complications that appear within 1 month after KTx increase the risk of early graft loss.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Female
  • Hematoma / surgery
  • Hemorrhage / surgery
  • Humans
  • Kidney Transplantation / adverse effects*
  • Kidney Transplantation / statistics & numerical data
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Postoperative Complications / classification
  • Postoperative Complications / epidemiology
  • Postoperative Complications / surgery*
  • Reoperation
  • Retrospective Studies