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| Year : 2011 | Volume
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| Issue : 1 | Page : 139-141 |
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| DMSA SPECT scan of dual transplanted pediatric kidneys in an adult recipient |
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Ammar Al Midani1, Sridevi Parvathareddy2, Mahmoud Al-Akraa3, John Buscombe4, Aine Burns2
1 Department of Transplant Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London, United Kingdom
2 Department of Nephrology SHO, Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London, United Kingdom
3 Department of Urology, Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London, United Kingdom
4 Department of Nuclear Medicine, Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London, United Kingdom
Click here for correspondence address and email
| Date of Web Publication | 30-Dec-2010 |
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How to cite this article:
Al Midani A, Parvathareddy S, Al-Akraa M, Buscombe J, Burns A. DMSA SPECT scan of dual transplanted pediatric kidneys in an adult recipient. Saudi J Kidney Dis Transpl 2011;22:139-41 |
How to cite this URL:
Al Midani A, Parvathareddy S, Al-Akraa M, Buscombe J, Burns A. DMSA SPECT scan of dual transplanted pediatric kidneys in an adult recipient. Saudi J Kidney Dis Transpl [serial online] 2011 [cited 2021 Jan 17];22:139-41. Available from: https://www.sjkdt.org/text.asp?2011/22/1/139/74389 |
To the Editor,
A 40-year-old patient, who developed chronic kidney disease (CKD) in childhood, secondary to posterior urethral valves, which necessitated renal replacement therapy from the age of 20, was called for his second renal transplant. Twenty years earlier, he had suffered a graft loss from post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD), one year after his first live related transplant.
The deceased donor was a 3-year-old child weighing less than 16 kg. The kidneys were harvested en bloc, each measuring 7 cm in length. The HLA mismatch was 0-1-1 and the immunosuppressive regimen included induction with basiliximab and maintenance on tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil and prednisolone. The recipient weighed 53 kg at the time of transplantation, with a height of 1.65 cm and body mass index (BMI) of 19.4.
The kidneys were transplanted en bloc into the right iliac fossa. The aorta and vena cava superior to the renal vessels were (closed) sutured and other branches of the great vessels were carefully ligated. The vena cava was then anastomosed to external iliac vein and the aorta was anastomosed to the external iliac artery. The kidneys were carefully positioned to avoid any kinking of blood vessels and to avoid tension on either ureter. They were then implanted into the bladder separately (Lich Gregoire technique) and two double J stents were inserted. Anticoagulation therapy was used (200 units heparin per hour plus 75 mg of aspirin) in the postoperative period to prevent thrombosis in the grafts as the risk is increased in pediatric kidneys.
The double J stents were subsequently removed at six weeks according to our unit protocol. There was good immediate function and now, several months later, the grafts have maintained excellent function with a recent creatinine of 56 μmol/L and a urine output of 2-3 L/day.
En bloc transplantation of pediatric kidneys into adults was first reported back in 1972 by Meakins et al. [1] Transplanting pediatric kidneys into adults remains controversial with vessel size, body mass and BP mismatch being blamed for poor short- and long-term outcomes in some early studies. [2],[3] In the UK, pediatric donors are first offered to suitable pediatric patients on the donor waiting list and if there are no acceptable recipients, the offer is then made to potential adult recipients. It is, however, widely held that pediatric kidneys should, if possible, be reserved for adult recipients with a relatively low BMI, i.e. 21.8 ± 2.9. [4]
Currently, kidneys from donors under the age of 5 years are retrieved only for use en bloc for adults. Not all centers accept these kidneys and they believe this is an unnecessary waste of a precious resource.
Double renal transplants (en bloc) on an aortic patch are technically easier and have resulted in better short- and long-term outcomes according to recent authors. [5],[6],[7]
These beautiful images and our patient's excellent renal function attest to the feasibility and significance of using such pairs of kidneys for adult transplantation.
 Science of the DMSA SPECT scan | |  |
The two kidneys could not be accurately assessed by a conventional Tc-99m MAG3 scan [Figure 1], as this was a planar image with one kidney overlapping the other. Therefore, a Tc99m DMSA SPECT scan was performed 3 hours post administration of 150 MBq of Tc-99m DMSA. The acquisition was performed in 8 minutes on a triple-headed gamma camera (Phillips Irix, Cleveland, OH, USA) into a 128 × 128 matrix. | Figure 1: 10– 15 minute frame of Tc-99m MAG3 renogram showing the two conjoint kidneys in a
planar view.
Click here to view |
The images were reconstructed using six interactions and smoothed by a count-optimized Butterworth filter. The images were then displayed on a series of slices to allow internal structures to be seen [Figure 2] and a surface rendered image to allow the relationship of the two transplanted kidneys to be assessed [Figure 3]. | Figure 2: Coronal slice of a Tc-99m DMSA SPECT showing the internal structure that reveals good cortical thickness of the two kidneys.
Click here to view |
 | Figure 3. Posterior view of a three-dimensional surface rendered imaging surface image of the Tc- 99m DMSA SPECT showing the anatomical relationships of the two kidneys.
Click here to view |
The two transplanted kidneys are well visualized with good cortex throughout both the kidneys, with no focal defects seen.
| References | | |
| 1. | Meakins JL, Smith EJ, Alexander JW. En-bloc transplantation of both kidneys from pediatric donors into adult patients. Surgery 1972;71:72-5. 
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| 2. | Kremer GD, Slooff MJ, Tegzess AM et al. Transplantation of cadaveric paediatric donor kidneys into adult recipients. Proc Eur Dial Transplant Assoc 1981;18:469-74.
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| 3. | Schneider JR, Sutherland DE, Simmons RL, et al. Long-term success with double pediatric cadaver donor renal transplants. Ann Surg 1983; 197(4):439-42.
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| 4. | Csapo Z, Knight R, Podder H, et al. Long-term outcomes of single paediatric vs. ideal adult renal allograft transplants in adult recipients. Clin Transplant 2006;20(4):423-6.
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| 5. | Keitel E, Fasolo LR, D'Avila AR, et al. Results of en-bloc renal transplants of pediatric deceased donors into adult recipients. Transplant Proc 2007;39(2):441-2.
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| 6. | Ratner LE, Cigarroa FG, Bender JS, et al. Transplantation of single and paired pediatric kidneys into adult recipients. J Am Coll Surg 1997;185(5):437-45.
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| 7. | Foss A, Line P, Brabrand K, et al. A prospective study on size and function of paediatric kidneys (<10 years) transplanted to adults. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2007;22:1738-42.
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Correspondence Address:
Ammar Al Midani
Department of Transplant Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London
United Kingdom
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PMID: 21196632 
[Figure 1], [Figure 2], [Figure 3] |
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