Background: Transplant renal artery stenosis, the prevalence of which varies from 2% to 12%, is an important cause of hypertension and allograft dysfunction. We sought to determine the clinical characteristics of this disorder, assessing, predisposing factors, establishing treatment options, and examining patient outcomes.
Patients and methods: Among 321 renal allograft recipients between November 1996 and December 2004, six patients were identified with this finding. We analyzed their clinical data before and after treatment compared with the 315 recipients face of the disorder.
Results: The six patients with the disorder were diagnosed within the first year (2 to 8 months; median 5.5 months). All patients displayed renal dysfunction, peripheral edema, and new-onset or uncontrolled hypertension at presentation. Abnormal Doppler findings were observed in 5 (83.3%) patients. The hemodynamically significant stenosis was successfully treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in all six. However, 3 (50%) patients displayed recurrent stenosis requiring a second PTA. The mean serum creatinine level decreased from a pre-PTA value of 4.4 +/- 1.8 mg/dL to a 1-month post-PTA value of 2.2 +/- 0.5 mg/dL (P = .027). Patients had no significant improvement in mean systolic and diastolic pressure. Vascular acute rejection episodes were more frequent among the affected than the control group (3/6; 50% vs 18/315; 5.7%; P < .001). No differences were found in age, sex, donor type, etiology of renal disease, immunosuppression, acute tubular necrosis, acute cellular rejection, cold ischemia time, or HLA matching.
Conclusion: Transplant renal artery stenosis is a common cause of hypertension and renal allograft dysfunction. Acute vascular rejection is associated with this disorder.