ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to analyze the long-term evolution of patients submitted to endolymphatic irradiation as a pre-transplant preparation. Setting: Referral center of university hospital. Design: Case-control study. Main outcomes measures: The study was designed to evaluate the incidence of rejection, kidney loss, leukopenia, infection, and graft survival in the group treated (group 1) prior to surgery, compared to a control group (group 2) composed of patients under identical clinical conditions (Sex, age, type of donor, immunosuppresive therapy and time of transplant) that did not undergo treatment preparation. Patients: Patients were selected from amongst transplatation candidates on a long-term waiting list, some with a high level of antibodies against panel. The control group was chosen from amongst recently transplanted patients. Patients in the treated group received lipoidine containing I with specific activity ranging between 4 and 6 mCu/ml. Results: A significant difference between the two groups was found with regard to the incidence of rejection crises (21.0 per cent in group 1 and 73.6 per cent in group 2; P=0.003), and the maintenance dose of azathioprine (smaller in group 1; P<0.01). As to kidney graft loss due to rejection, a tendency to significance could be identified (10.5 per cent in group 1 and 42.1 per cent in group 2; P=0.063); however, the difference was not significant the two groups in terms of reversibility of rejection episodes during the first 60 post-transplant days. Conclusions: The authors concluded that this method, besides being relatively innocuous (there was no compromising of either the thyroid gland or of gonad function and there was no increase in tumor incidence), has na extended immunosuppressive effect, and can be indicated for cadaveric renal allograft recipients, especially those showing high panel reactivity.