“Renal transplantation offers surgeons an opportunity to augment their clinical assessment of a donor kidney with objective intraoperative flow measurement data. Transit-time ultrasound flowmetry quantifies the success of the transplant.”

- Anders Lundell, MD, PhD, Nils H. Persson, MD, PhD, Transplantation Unit, Dept. of Surgery, Malmö General Hospital, Malmö, Sweden

1. Measurements Present Immediate Information about Renal Graft Circulation in the Transplanted Kidney

   "The ultrasonic transit time flowprobe accurately measures postreperfusion renal blood flow and offers a practical and noninvasive method for assessing renal reperfusion injury after transplantation. This can help optimize immunosuppressive strategies to maximize renal recovery."¹ Low or decreasing flow could indicate a technical error which, if left uncorrected, could endanger the transplant.²

 

2. Low Blood Flow Indicates a Delayed Onset of Graft Function

   "Measurements correlate significantly with the occurrence of delayed onset of graft function and the need for post-transplant dialysis.…Immediate information on blood flow data would, therefore, be valuable in critical cases when initiation of antibody prophylaxis is considered on the day of operation, especially in patients with uncertain graft urine production."²

 

3. Measurable Data for the Operative Record

   Flow measurement during renal transplant provides quantitative data to include in the operative record.

 

4. Donor to Recipient Vessel Match

   Whereas in living donor liver transplant (LDLT), graft size mismatch is a major concern because hyperperfusion to the newly grafted liver may lead to graft dysfunction and poor survival, renal transplant pioneers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and at Hermann Hospital in Houston, TX are presently examining a similar correlation between renal blood flow in donor and in recipient.

Recommended Flowprobe Sizes

Why Measure Flow during Renal Transplant Surgery

A focus note that addresses the benefit and value of intraoperative blood flow measurements during renal transplant surgery.

Renal Transplant Surgery

Protocol with accompanying flow chart for successful intraoperative blood flow measurements for quantitative assessment of renal arterial blood function during renal transplant surgery.

Key Renal Transplant Publications

A focus note that lists a few of the landmark renal transplant publications that have used intraoperative flow measurements to augment their surgical decision making.

Liver and Renal Transplant References

A reference list of transplant publications that have used intraoperative flow measurements to augment their surgical decision making.