ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Gigantism, characterized by excessive growth and height is due to increased secretion of growth hormone, most commonly from a pituitary adenoma. In addition to the surgical and anesthetic complexity, the extreme stature of these patients presents a unique challenge for kidney transplantation in deciding whether to proceed with a single or dual kidney transplantation. The lack of relevant literature further adds to the dilemma. CASE SUMMARY: A 45-year-old patient with untreated gigantism and end stage renal failure on renal replacement therapy was waitlisted for a deceased donor dual kidney transplantation due to the extreme physical stature (Height-247 cm and weight-200 kg). He was offered 2 kidneys from a 1-0-1 HLA mismatched 24-year-old DCD donor (Height-179 cm and weight-75 kg), and was planned for a bilateral retroperitoneal implantation into the recipient external iliac vessels. The immunosuppression consisted of alemtuzumab induction (50 mg) and steroid-free maintenance with tacrolimus. The donor's right kidney was uneventfully implanted extra-peritoneally into the right external iliac vessels. On contralateral exposure, the left common and external iliac arteries were ectatic and frail. A complex vascular reconstruction was not preferred in order to preserve the arterial supply to the left lower limb, to minimise the cold ischemia time and prevent additional warm ischemic insult to the second kidney. Hence, it was decided not to proceed with dual transplantation. Amidst concerns of nephron mass insufficiency, the graft function was remarkable with a serum creatinine of 120 µmol/L within a month from transplantation and 94 µmol/L at 1-year post transplantation, and without proteinuria. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first case report on kidney transplantation in gigantism. Although it is believed that dual kidney transplantation is ideal, a single kidney transplantation from an appropriately selected donor can provide sufficient functioning nephron mass in patients with gigantism.
ABSTRACT
We report the fifth, to our knowledge, published case of spontaneous intraperitoneal bladder rupture after normal, vacuum-assisted in this occasion, vaginal delivery of a 29-year-old female patient. Diagnosis was established not by imaging or intraoperative findings, but, rather, by the examination and comparison of patient's blood, urine, and peritoneal fluid urea and creatinine levels, which, due to the patient's delayed referral and sequent development of uroperitoneum and hyponatremic renal pseudofailure, were abnormal and characteristic of her medical condition. The patient was successfully managed conservatively and was discharged the sixth day after admission. Due to the rare nature of such medical condition and based on the relative literature, we propose a diagnostic and management algorithm for such cases.
