Donor Kidney Volume May Predict Post-Tx Function at One Year

SAN DIEGO—Donor kidney volume is a major determinant of allograft kidney function one year after renal transplantation, according to researchers.

The finding is based on a study of 98 living donors by nephrology fellow Magdalena Sikora, MD, and collaborators at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City. They used computed tomography angiograms to determine subjects’ kidney dimensions and calculate kidney volume. The team divided kidneys into four quartiles based on volume (in mL): less than 141 (reference), 141-158, 159-184, and more than 184.

At 12 months post-transplant, the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was an average 13 mL/min/1.73 m² higher in kidneys in the fourth quartile than in the reference group, the researchers reported at the 2010 American Transplant Congress.

From the June 01, 2010 Issue of Renal and Urology News