Clinical application of flow cytometry versus test tube method to detect antibody titer in ABO incompatible kidney transplantation / 中华器官移植杂志

Objective To compare the flow cytometry versus test tube method in detecting antibody titer in ABO blood type,and try to establish a standard method using flow cytometry to provide insight in ABO incompatible kidney transplantation and therapeutics.Methods The ABO blood type titers of anti-IgM-A/B and anti-IgG-A/B in 30 serum samples from renal allograft recipients were measured by flow cytometry.The results were compared with those determined by test tube method.Results The titers by cytometry significantly higher than those by test tube method (P＜0.05).Conclusion The sensitivity of flow cytometry is significantly higher than test tube method,and flow cytometry can precisely monitor the ABO blood titers in renal allograft recipients,which can provide better medical advice in clinical treatment and therapeutics.

Living-donor Sequential ABO-incompatible Kidney Transplantation after Liver Transplantation in a Patient with Alcoholic Liver Cirrhosis and End-stage Renal Disease / 대한이식학회지

A 47-year-old man developed chronic alcoholic liver cirrhosis and end-stage renal disease. He underwent blood-type-compatible liver transplantation with a graft from his daughter. After 8 months, sequential ABO-incompatible (ABOi) kidney transplantation was performed, with his brother as the donor (A to O). The patient had anti-A antibody titers (1:256). We performed pretransplant desensitization, including administration of rituximab, mycophenolate mofetil, tacrolimus, and prednisolone 2 weeks before the scheduled transplantation, and plasmaphresis (PP) and administered an intravenous immunoglobulin injection. The patient underwent PP before kidney transplantation until the anti-A antibody titer was <1:8. The patient achieved normal renal function within 4 posttransplantation days. Postoperative bleeding (diffuse hemorrhage) requiring additional blood transfusions and radiological intervention (drainage procedure) occurred 9 days after transplantation. The patient was discharged on day 20 of hospitalization. Nine months after the kidney transplantation, the recipient's and donor's liver and kidney functions were normal. ABOi renal transplantation after liver transplantation can be successfully performed in patients with high baseline anti-ABO antibody titers after preconditioning with rituximab and PP, and quadruple immunosuppressive therapy. However, caution is required regarding an increased risk of bleeding complications.

Successful Pediatric ABO-Incompatible Kidney Transplantation without Pretransplant Plasmapheresis: Report of a Case / 대한이식학회지

Immunologic responses of infants and younger children differ from those of adults. Therefore, application of different pretransplant strategies for antibody depletion in younger ABO-incompatible transplant recipients is appropriate. A 12-month-old male infant with end stage renal disease after acute tubular necrosis was scheduled to undergo kidney transplantation from an ABO-incompatible living donor. He did not undergo pretransplant plasmapheresis, as the titer of the anti-ABO antibody was less than 1:4. After kidney transplantation, posttransplant renal function and anti-ABO titers were stable until posttransplant 2 years.

A Single Center Experience of ABO Incompatible Kidney Transplantation / 대한이식학회지

BACKGROUND: Kidney transplantation (KT) is the optimal treatment for end stage renal disease. However, the relative shortage of organs for transplantation (from human leukocyte antigen- or ABO incompatible [ABOi] living donors) has led to ABOi KT as an accepted method to expand the pool of living kidney donors. To date, reports of the outcomes of ABOi KT are limited; therefore this study aims to evaluate the outcomes of ABOi KT in recipients. METHODS: We identified 45 patients who underwent live-donor ABOi KT between February 2007 and November 2011 at Maryknoll Medical Center. All of them were treated according to the scheduled protocol of plasmapheresis with low dose intravenous immunoglobulin, and low dose rituximab- or tacrolimus-based triple immunosuppressant regimens. Clinical parameters and the incidence of rejections in these patients were analyzed. RESULTS: We had three cases (6.6%) of biopsy-proven acute antibody-mediated rejections and one case (2.2%) of acute cellular rejection, all of which were successfully treated. The median follow-up duration was 20 months (range, 2~59). Antibody depletion was scheduled according to baseline anti-ABO antibody titer (tube method: median immunoglobulin G titer/immunoglobulin M titer 64 [range, 8~4,096]/16 [range, 2~256], respectively). Although there was no patient death, one patient lost his graft due to nonadherence to immunosuppressants. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis of ABOi KT has shown excellent and promising outcomes. These practices may therefore represent an acceptable option for expanding the pool of living kidney donors.

Case of ABO-Incompatible Living Donor Kidney Transplantation without Blood Products in a Jehovah's Witness / 대한이식학회지

ABO-incompatible kidney transplantations have been performed successfully in Korea without splenectomy using plasmapheresis, anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody infusions and other immunosuppressants. However, there is no report of a case of ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation in a Jehovah's Witness. Hence, we report our experience of successful ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation without blood products in a Jehovah's Witness. The recipient was treated with six sessions of plasmapheresis and he received intravenous rituximab before transplantation. Immunosuppressive regimen consisted of tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil and steroid. The replacement fluid for plasmapheresis was 5%% albumin solution instead of fresh frozen plasma. We measured the clotting factors before and after plasmapheresis and used cryoprecipitate to prevent bleeding.

ABO Blood Group Incompatible Living Donor Kidney Transplantation without Splenectomy / 대한이식학회지

BACKGROUND: Serious organ shortage necessitates ABO incompatible (ABOi) kidney transplantation (KT). Recent reports utilizing rituximab instead of splenectomy and tacrolimus (FK)-based triple immunosuppressants showed excellent graft outcome. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirteen cases of ABOi living donor KT have been performed since Feb. 2007 in our center. Donor and recipient blood group was B to O (n=5), A1 to O (2), AB to B (2), AB to A1 (1), A1 to B (2) and B to A1 (1). Rituximab was given at 4 weeks before transplantation. Plasmapheresis (PP) was initiated at 7~14 days before transplantation with concurrent immunosuppressants. The number of pretransplant PP was 5.7+/-1.4. Posttransplant PP was also performed in 6 patients with higher initial titer of ABO antibody (IgG > or =256; n=2), rapidly rising antibody titer during the critical period of 2 weeks posttransplantation (n=2), or increase in serum creatinine during the critical period while awaiting pathology report of graft biopsy (n=2). Mean number of posttransplant PP in these 6 patients was 2.2+/-1.3. Median IgG anti-ABO antibody titer before precondition, at transplantation, at 2 weeks and at 6 months was 64 (8~512), 2 (1~8), 2 (1~16) and 6 (1~16), respectively. IgM titer at corresponding time point was 16 (2~128). 1 (1~1), 1 (1~2) and 1.5 (1~4), respectively. Median follow up was 8 (5~27) months. No patient or graft was lost. No patient developed acute humoral rejection. Graft function remained stable with latest serum creatinine 1.2+/-0.3 mg/dl. CONCLUSIONS: ABOi living donor KT without splenectomy can be safely performed with the use of current preconditioning and immunosuppressive regimen, and is therefore a valuable option for expanding donor pool and should be actively performed in Korea.

An Experience of ABO-incompatible Kidney Transplantation Using Plasmapheresis and Anti-CD20 Monoclonal Antibody / 대한진단검사의학회지

Due to an extreme shortage of cadaveric kidneys, many centers in Japan successfully performed ABO-incompatible kidney transplantations using plasmapheresis, splenectomy and immunosuppression. Recently, a protocol including anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (rituximab) and antigen-selective immunoadsorption has been used for ABO-incompatible transplantation in Europe. In Korea, ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation has been rarely performed. We report an experience of successful ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation using plasmapheresis and rituximab. The patient was a 32-yr-old female suffering from chronic renal failure, and her blood type was O, Rh+. The donor was her husband, and his blood type was B, Rh+. A combination therapy including 5 times of plasmapheresis starting from 10 days before transplantation with 2-day interval, intravenous gammaglobulin, rituximab at 2 weeks before transplantation and potent immunosuppression successfully decreased the titers of anti-A and anti-B antibodies to 1:2 and 1:1, respectively. The kidney transplantation was successful without any sign of hyperacute or acute rejection.