Renal transplantation: clinical considerations.

Renal transplantation is the treatment of choice for adults and children with end-stage renal disease. More than 7500 kidney transplants are performed in the United States each year with an average 2-year graft survival rate of 95, 85, and 75 per cent for HLA-identical, living related, and cadaver donor recipients, respectively. New immunosuppressive modalities including donor specific transfusions and cyclosporine have resulted in improved results with fewer infectious complications. Careful attention to hemostasis, minimization of tissue injury, and aseptic technique is necessary in uremic and immunosuppressed patients. The most common complications requiring radiologic evaluation and treatment after renal transplantation include acute tubular necrosis, renal artery or renal vein thrombosis, lymphocele, ureteral necrosis, bladder disruption, bleeding, ureteral obstruction or stricture, and renal artery stenosis. The most useful radiologic studies are renograms, echograms, computed axial tomograms, cystograms, arteriograms, percutaneous nephrostograms, and intravenous or retrograde pyelograms.