Introduction: Thrombolysis has been suggested as a feasible method to treat arterial renal transplant thrombosis under conditions of short duration of ischemia. Data on maximal duration of ischemia that are still feasible to treat are scarce.
Methods: We retrospectively analysed our experience involving three attempts to utilize thrombolysis to treat transplant renal artery thrombosis. We searched through literature on PubMed and compared the data we found with our own experience.
Results: In case number 1 of our cohort, thrombolysis was initiated 12 hours after the onset of thrombosis and had to be ceased after five hours due to the formation of a haematoma. Perfusion of the graft was restored but it did not regain function, most likely due to long ischemia time. In case number 2, an attempt to use thrombolysis was unsuccessful due to failure to cross the graft artery occlusion with a guidewire. Thrombosis was most likely caused by chronic rejection of the graft. In case number 3, thrombolysis restored arterial patency but, due to an onset of ischemia, which lasted 2 to 3 days, did not lead to restoration of graft function. The prolonged ischemia period in case three occurred, at least in part, due to failure to perform an ultrasound scan when the patient was first admitted.
Conclusion: We can confirm that thrombolysis for transplant renal artery thrombosis seems to be feasible only when the condition has a short duration. In the event of sudden deterioration of graft function, the absence of perfusion must always be ruled out by ultrasound scan.
Keywords: kidney transplantation; thrombolysis; thrombolytic therapy; thrombosis; tissue plasminogen activator.