Cadaveric renal transplantation under cyclosporine-steroid therapy

Abstract

Ninety-seven cadaveric renal transplants were performed upon 96 patients during 1981. The one year patient mortality was 2.1 per cent. Seventy of the recipients were undergoing transplantation for the first time. Of these patients, 38 were treated with cyclosporine and steroids with a one year graft survival rate of 89.5 per cent. The other 32 primary recipients were treated with azathioprine and steroids with a one year graft survival rate of 50 per cent. The difference between the cyclosporine-steroid versus conventional therapy groups was significant. Cyclosporine and steroids also were used to treat 26 patients who underwent retransplantation with 27 cadaveric grafts. The one year graft survival time was 77.8 per cent; most of the graft losses were in presensitized patients. The results with retransplantation were twice as good as in historical control groups.

Fig. 1

a, The survival rate of kidneys after all primary cadaveric transplantations, in 1981, is shown. Follow-up studies were for at least 15 months. b, Results in randomized subset of 1981 experience, compared with the total results. Note that both the experimental (cyclosporine-steriods, 21 patients) and conventional (azathioprine-steroids, 20 patients) randomized limbs were 3 per cent higher than in the total groups.

Fig. 2

The graft survival rate after cadaveric retransplantation under cyclosporine-steroids compared with historical control groups. All follow-up studies are for at least 15 months.