Cost-benefit ratio of pretransplant bilateral nephrectomy.

The posttransplant courses of 27 chronic dialysis patients with 29 grafts who had undergone pretransplant bilateral nephrectomy were compared to those of 49 patients with 55 transplant who had no pretransplant surgery during the same time period. The latter had better survival and fewer rejection episodes (P less than .05). The six patients who died of bacterial sepsis after transplantation all had pretransplant surgery. The frequency of post transplant hypertension was similar in both groups. Apparently, pretransplant bilateral nephrectomy offers no advantage to the patient awaiting an allograft.