Estimation of the glomerular filtration rate through different methods in kidney transplant recipients: correlation with the creatinine clearance measurement.

The measurement of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is an important tool for physicians to follow kidney transplant recipients. Indeed, renal function has been shown to be predictive of graft outcome in retrospective studies. Several methods have been proposed to measure GFR. In the present study we evaluated the correlation of GFR between a reference method (calculation through the urine to plasma ratio of creatinine [UV/P] formula) and three estimation equations (Cockcroft and Gault; Nankivell; modification of diet in renal disease) in 81 kidney transplant recipients at 3 and 12 months posttransplantation. We showed a significant correlation between the three predictive formulas and UV/P, but none of the predictive equations showed an excellent correlation. The best correlation between an estimation equation and the UV/P formula was the CG formula. Further studies are required to compare the estimated GFR with better reference methods, such as the use of isotopic markers in kidney graft recipients.