[Surgical complications in kidney transplantation]

Abstract

Kidney transplantation has become the treatment of choice for patients with end stage renal disease since it offers an excellent quality of life. Moreover, the economic impact is considerable, particularly beyond the first year. Indeed, the annual cost of a successful renal transplantation is ten fold lower than haemodialysis. But surgical complications remain one of our main concerns. Surgical complications are various. They may be non-specific as haematomas, incision-induced hernias and wound infections. They may also be directly related to the procedure as vascular thrombosis and urinary fistula in the early postoperative period or arterial stenosis and ureteral obstruction in the late post-operative period. The accurate diagnosis and the appropriate management of these complications are the most important tasks for the surgical team. This review is based upon our experience in kidney transplantation and upon the medical published data.