Prevention of vascular graft lesions in renal transplant recipients with a new antithrombotic agent (defibrotide): a controlled study

Abstract

Eighty transplanted patients were randomized to receive either a new antithrombotic agent, defibrotide (group A), or dipyridamole (group B) in addition to immunosuppressive therapy, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of these drugs in preventing graft vascular damage. While the incidence of rejection and the occurrence of specific anti-HLA antibodies were similar in the two groups, the peak serum creatinine levels during rejection were significantly lower in patients treated with defibrotide (3.3 +/- 1.8 versus 5.6 +/- 2.4 mg/dl; P less than 0.01), 97.5 per cent of whom had a still-functioning graft after a mean follow-up period of 24 months, compared with 80.5 per cent of the patients treated with dipyridamole (P less than 0.05). Graft biopsy, carried out during rejection, showed less severe vascular lesions in patients from group A than in those from group B. Our results suggest that the prophylactic administration of defibrotide may play a role in improving the long-term results of renal transplantation.