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We report 3 cases of urinary leakage occurring in male kidney transplant recipients within 6 weeks of renal transplantation. Voiding cystometrography showed that high voiding detrusor pressure was the contributing factor. Endoscopic bladder outlet surgery restored normal detrusor voiding pressure and led to spontaneous resolution of urinary leakage without recurrence in all cases.

Fifty-four patients on haemodialysis for chronic renal failure underwent renal transplantation. Basal and maximum acid output and the incidence of peptic ulcer before transplantation were not significantly different from those of controls. But after renal transplantation the incidence of symptoms of peptic ulcer was high (22%) and four out of six patients who developed gastrointestinal bleeding died from this complication. In men peak acid output was significantly increased after renal transplantation and was associated with a 30% incidence of symptoms of peptic ulcer compared with 10% in women, who showed no significant change in mean basal or peak acid output. Peptic ulceration after transplantation was not associated with steroid dosage, hyperparathyroidism, or the height of blood urea concentrations. Given criteria of a history of dyspepsia, abnormal barium meal findings, or gastric hypersecretion, it was not possible to identify patients at risk from peptic ulceration or life-threatening complications after renal transplantation. Thus the routine screening of these patients for peptic ulcer has no practical value, and the incidence of fatal complications is not high enough to justify routine prophylactic anti-ulcer surgery aimed at reducing acid secretion before renal transplantation.

The effects of introduction of a low steroid regime and pre-transplant blood transfusion were evaluated. The kidney and patient survival rates for the period before such a policy was adopted were compared with the period after this policy. There has been a highly significant rise in patient survival rates to the present level of 95 per cent at three years. There was a similar rise in three year graft survival rates from less than 40 per cent to 66 per cent.

Transplant kidney survival of recipients with immediate diuresis (n = 19) is compared with recipients who did not have a significant post-operative diuresis (n = 53). There is statistically no significant difference between patients without significant early diuresis (survival rate 71%) and patients with immediate diuresis (survival rate 68%, p greater than 0.1). The renal function was not different in the survivors of the two groups at 12 months post-transplant as measured by creatinine clearance (p greater than 0.35).

Three year graft survival rates were calculated for 66 patients on cyclosporin and prednisolone immuno-suppression and compared to survival rates for 73 patients on azathioprine and prednisolone. There was a temporary early advantage for the cyclosporin treatment group up to four months post transplant. There was no further significant difference between the two treatment groups with graft survival rate of 81.4% in cyclosporin and 76.7% in azathioprine group at three years post transplant. Fewer of the patients on cyclosporin had acute episodes of rejection. There was no significant difference in serum creatinine or urea at one year, but the haemoglobin level was higher in cyclosporin treated patients. Cyclosporin does not appear to have increased the survival rate significantly in our centre where there is already a high graft survival with azathioprine.

We compared renal angiographic and operative findings in 88 live kidney donors. Fifty patients had normal arteriograms and uneventful nephrectomies. Abnormal renal parenchymal or main artery lesions were found in eight donors (9%). These included four renal artery stenoses; the kidney distal to the lesion was used for transplanting. Thirty one patients (35%) had multiple renal arteries. Only 24 of these (77%) were diagnosed at pre-operative angiography, though on review angiogram accuracy could be raised to 94%. Except for one patient the accessory renal arteries missed at angiography were tiny twigs; the small renal infarcts caused by ligating them did not impair transplant survival. There was one serious misdiagnosis of multiple renal arteries, preventable on review of the abdominal aortogram. We condiser pre-operative angiography an essential step for the live kidney donor. It is the most accurate way of ensuring that his remaining kidney will be structurally sound. Finding multiple renal arteries has a decisive impact on management. Abdominal aortography rather than routine selective arteriography is the safe and therefore preferable approach to these patients.

The detection of lymphoid cells by routine examination of the urine after renal allotransplantation has proved to be a useful early indication of rejection. In a study of 36 rejection episodes, 20 (56%) were associated with a significant number of lymphocytes in the urine. The incidence was much higher when rejection occurred during the first month after operation (76%); lymphocytes were rarely found when rejection occurred after three months. The appearance of lymphocytes in the urine was of particular value for detecting rejection in patients with prolonged oliguria after transplantation.

In 45 patients with chronic uraemia the basal acid output was the same as in 22 controls. Maximal acid output in uraemic patients was less than in the controls but not significantly so. In uraemia the maximal acid output was directly related to the duration of uraemia and inversely related to both haemoglobin level and age; it was not related to the height of the blood urea. Neutralization of gastric acid by ammonia probably occurred in the basal juice, but not when acid secretion was maximally stimulated. The presence of secondary hyperparathyroidism was associated with a 50% increase in the maximal acid output, but the increase may have been due to the younger age of this group.Successful renal transplantation was followed in two out of seven patients by a considerable increase in acid output and both patients showed evidence of peptic ulceration.