Interventions for impaired bladders in paediatric renal transplant recipients with lower urinary tract dysfunction.

Dysfunctional bladders in paediatric patients were thought to be a contraindication for renal transplantation, but advances in surgical techniques have meant that surgical correction can allow safe transplantation. This study compares the outcomes of renal transplantation for different interventions, and the timing of such interventions, in relation to transplantation. We identified all paediatric renal transplant recipients with LUTD that received intervention for their impaired bladders at two hospitals between 2002 and 2010. Outcome measures included patient and graft survival, perioperative complications, UTI incidence, acute rejection episodes and serum creatinine levels. A total of 288 allografts were transplanted, 77 were in 75 children with LUTD, of which 46 received intervention. Patient survival was 100% in the intervention group and 97% in the nonintervention group (P = 0.815). Death-censored graft survival was 96% and 100% respectively (P = 0.688). In the groups receiving intervention pretransplant or post-transplant, graft survival rates were 95% and 100% respectively (P = 0.476). The follow-up serum creatinine levels were higher in the pretransplant intervention group (P < 0.001). Interventions for dysfunctional bladders can be performed safely in paediatric renal transplant recipients. The mode of intervention and timing of intervention, in relation to transplant, do not influence outcomes if guided by careful assessment and investigation.

Challenges facing renal transplantation in pediatric patients with lower urinary tract dysfunction.

In pediatric patients with end-stage renal disease, renal transplantation is the established therapy of choice. The commonest cause is a congenital abnormality of the kidneys and urinary tract, often associated with lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD). Historically, such patients were denied transplantation, but it is now widely accepted that transplant outcomes comparable with the non-LUTD population are achievable. Nonetheless, the optimal management of pediatric end-stage renal disease patients with LUTD is unclear, with no guidelines to distinguish between the need for conservative management or surgical reconstruction of the lower urinary tract. Furthermore, the most appropriate surgical procedure and optimal timing of surgical intervention is far from clear. In this review, we outline common conditions that produce LUTD in children; discuss difficulties encountered in assessing the need for surgical treatment; provide an overview of the surgical procedures available; and consider the evidence for and against surgical intervention before, during, and after renal transplantation.

A review of urodynamic evaluation in children and its role in the management of boys with posterior urethral valves.

Posterior urethral valves are the commonest cause of lower urinary tract outflow obstruction in male infants with an estimated incidence of 1:5000 male infants and 1:25,000 live births. Despite treatment with fulguration of the obstructing valves, bladder function is abnormal in up to 70% of older children and adolescents. Bladder dysfunction causes morbidity e.g. urinary incontinence and has been implicated in the late deterioration of renal function in this population. A poor understanding and inappropriate management of bladder dysfunction can result in unnecessary morbidity, which can handicap a child for life. Any method that measures function or dysfunction of the lower urinary tract constitutes a urodynamics investigation. Broadly, the investigations can be classified into simple or noninvasive urodynamics and invasive urodynamics. The objective of urodynamics assessments in children is to reproduce the patient's complaints or symptoms. Video urodynamics can provide additional information that may contribute to a further understanding of the problem under investigation. Urodynamics provides a useful tool to test the efficacy of treatment as well as determine any refinements necessary to improve the outcome of such treatment.