Inferior long-term graft survival after end-to-side reconstruction for two renal arteries in living donor renal transplantation

PLoS One. 2018 Jul 11;13(7):e0199629. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199629. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Living donor kidneys with two arteries can be revascularized using various techniques depending on anatomy. We hypothesized that the revascularization technique could impact long-term outcomes. We retrospectively analyzed 1714 living donor renal transplants at our institution between 1999 and 2015. Three hundred and eleven kidneys had dual arteries, and these were categorized into 5 groups; end-to-side (n = 18), inferior epigastric artery (n = 21), direct anastomosis (n = 65), side-to-side (n = 126) and ligated (n = 81). We then compared the outcomes with that of a control group (single artery, n = 1403) using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. Cox regression was adjusted by age, sex and race/ethnicity of donor and recipient, side of kidney, transplant period and recipient surgeon. Compared to the control group, the end-to-side group had increased all-cause graft loss (10 years: 77.2% vs 24.5%, adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 3.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30-7.03, p = 0.010) and death-censored graft loss (10 years: 82.0% vs 55.9%, aHR 4.17, 95% CI 1.63-10.68, p = 0.003), whereas the other groups did not. Our study shows that 10-year overall survival and death-censored graft survival were significantly worse for end-to-side arterial reconstruction than for other techniques. Alternative techniques to the end-to-side method should be used for accessory arteries that require revascularization.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Female
  • Graft Survival*
  • Humans
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Kidney Transplantation* / adverse effects
  • Living Donors*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Renal Artery* / surgery
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Assessment
  • Treatment Outcome

Grants and funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work.