Use of vascular prostheses in renal transplantation: series of 9 cases

OBJECTIVE: Calcification and atherosclerosis of the iliac arteries is very common in dialysis patients, making sometimes impossible the anastomosis of a kidney graft. The objective of this study is to present our kidney transplantation series using vascular prostheses for iliac artery reconstruction and to assess the results obtained in comparison to other published series. MATERIAL AND METHOD: In a single centre where 1090 kidney transplants were performed between January 2013 and December 2019, patients who required vascular reconstruction were identified for their descriptive analysis. RESULTS: In 9 patients (0.83%) arterial anastomosis was performed to a Gore-tex prosthesis (8) or using a bovine pericardium patch (1). Only in 1 case, the vascular bypass was prior to transplantation; in the other 8 the surgery was simultaneous. In 2 cases, an urgent transplantectomy was done because of acute rejection and prosthetic thrombosis. 6 patients had immediate graft function. 5 patients required a new surgical or endovascular procedure to resolve complications. At 35 months of mean follow-up, 7 patients maintained renal graft function. CONCLUSION: Kidney transplantation with arterial anastomosis to a vascular prosthesis is very rare. Candidates should be carefully selected because of the high risk of complications. Simultaneous vascular reconstruction is preferred. The functional results are satisfactory.