Acute bone-marrow oedema in cyclosporin-treated renal transplant recipients.

Transient musculoskeletal pain may occur in renal transplant patients on cyclosporin (CyA). Of 28 consecutive patients transplanted in this unit between 20 January 1995 and 2 May 1996, eight (two published elsewhere) developed this problem. Before transplantation, three of the patients had received prednisone intermittently or continuously for 15, 5 and 2 years, for asthma, crescentic GN and SLE, respectively. All patients had normal hand radiographs prior to transplantation. Five developed acute rejection following transplantation requiring treatment with methylprednisolone; one also required OKT3 (7 days). Weight-bearing joints of the lower limbs became affected at 3-40 weeks (mean 14) following transplantation. MRI changes (T1-, T2-weighted and STIR images) were consistent with acute bone-marrow oedema. Bone scintigrams showed enhanced tracer uptake in affected joints. A spontaneous complete remission occurred in five patients within 4-16 weeks, and this was supported by serial imaging. The other patient underwent core decompression of the femoral heads with relief of symptoms, but MRI showed bilateral avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral heads. MRI proved useful in detecting acute bone-marrow oedema and its possible progression to AVN. The former may be either a distinct entity or a forerunner of AVN.

Successful use of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis in octogenarians.

Clinical data and outcomes of 18 patients, aged 80 or older, on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) during the last five years were reviewed. There were 12 males and 6 females, with a mean age of 85 (range 82-91 years) and median duration on CAPD of 31.5 months (range 2-58 months). End-stage renal disease was caused by nephrosclerosis in 9, diabetes mellitus and light chain disease in 2 each, and chronic glomerulonephritis, membranous nephropathy, and IgA nephropathy in 1 each, with the cause unknown in yet another 2 patients. Hypertension and angina were the commonest comorbid conditions observed. Peritonitis episodes occurred one per 10.8 patient-months, and necessitated catheter removal in 7 patients and reinsertion in 6 of them. Fourteen episodes of exit-site infections were seen in 8 patients, 2 developed pericatheter leak, and 1 had tunnel infection. Nine patients are continuing CAPD successfully, with a median duration of 29 months (range 11-57 months). One patient was transferred to hemodialysis, and 8 died. The causes of death were peritonitis (3/8), cerebrovascular accident (2/8), pneumonia (1/8), and septicemia (1/8), with the cause not known in 1 patient. Our survival rate of 80% at three years is encouraging, and we advocate CAPD as a successful alternative treatment modality in octogenarians.

Percutaneous renal biopsy using Monopty needle.

Forty six percutaneous renal biopsies (thirty one native and fifteen transplant kidneys) were performed using the Monopty needle, compared with equal number of biopsies performed using the Travenol Tru-cut needle. The core length of samples obtained ranged from 3-16 mm using Monopty and 5-13 mm using Tru-cut. Adequate tissue was obtained in 65.5% and 80.4% of cases with the use of Monopty and Tru-cut respectively. Both the needles gave equal number of reuses. The use of Tru-cut needle was associated with serious complications like gross haematuria requiring blood transfusions and perinephric haematoma in ten cases whereas only two cases developed haematuria when the Monopty needle was used. In view of its greater safety we have switched over to using the Monopty needle for percutaneous renal bipsies.