title: Organ transplantation at the Rijeka Clinical Medical Center--from kidney to pancreas.
abstract: From January 1971 to January 1994 the authors performed 560 kidney, and two simultaneous pancreas and kidney, transplantations at the Rijeka Clinical Medical Center. Three hundred and nine kidneys (55%) were from a related living donor (two from unrelated living donors), while 253 (45%) kidney and two pancreas grafts were from cadaveric donors. Analyzing the mean patients' age at the time of transplantation the authors noticed its steady increase over five-year periods, a decrease of chronic glomerulonephritis from 76% to 60%, and a gradual increase in diabetic nephropathy from 0 to 6%. Cumulative 1- and 5-year patient survival rates after living donor transplants including conventional immunosuppression were 95 and 83%, respectively; with Cs the survival rates were 94% and 90% (N. S.). For living donor kidney grafts the 1- and 5-year survival rates with conventional immunosuppression were 76% and 50%, respectively. With Cs the survival rates were considerably higher: 88% after 1 year and 71% after 5 years (p < 0.01). Cumulative survival rates of patients with cadaveric transplants receiving conventional immunosuppression were 82% and 71%, respectively; with Cs they were 87% and 78% (N.S.). The survival rate of cadaveric transplants was 51% after one year and 38% after five years in the first period, but it improved significantly after introduction of Cs. increasing to 81% and 52%, respectively (p < 0.001). Renal transplantation in diabetics does not preclude the recurrence of diabetic nephropathy in the graft; successful pancreas and kidney transplantation does, however, and thus offers the patient a better quality of life.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Orlić
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zelić
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uravić
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Peterković
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vujaklija-Stipanović
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smokvina
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Velcić
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Curuvija
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grzetić
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vukas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D016035:Pancreas Transplantation / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data