Objective: To investigate the risk factors of transplant renal artery stenosis (TRAS).
Methods: The clinical records of 26 patients undergoing renal transplantation in our hospital between 2000 and 2005 were retrospectively analyzed, whose final diagnosis of TRAS was established on the basis of arteriographic findings. A case-control group of 52 post-renal transplantation patients were sampled by stratified randomization, whose blood pressure and renal graft function were without complications of avascularity or urinary passage. The two groups were matched for the operation time, gender, age, primary diseases, blood type, PRA and HLA matching and use of immunosuppressants. Possible events related to TRAS such as cold ischemia time, acute rejection, delayed graft function and approaches of arterial anastomosis were compared.
Results: Fifteen patients (57.7%) with TRAS had a history of acute rejection episode, 7 (26.9%) had delayed graft function, both rates of which were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The cold ischemic time and type of arterial anastomosis showed no significant effect on TRAS occurrence (P>0.05).
Conclusions: Post-transplant renal artery stenosis is closely associated with acute rejection and delayed graft function but not with the cold ischemic time or the type of arterial anastomosis.