title: Percutaneous renal artery embolization of nonfunctioning allograft: preliminary experience.
abstract: Percutaneous renal artery embolization has been introduced as an alternative to nephrectomy for patients with a nonfunctioning allograft and Graft Intolerance Syndrome. The symptoms resulting from this syndrome include fever, local pain, hypertension, and hematuria. From April 2003 to October 2003, 5 patients were treated with this technique. The intraparenchymal renal arteries were embolized by injection of calibrated tris-acryl gelatin microspheres of increasing size (from 100-330 to 700-900 microm) and completed with the insertion of 5-mm-8-mm steel coils in the renal artery. The procedure was well tolerated in all cases; no major complications occurred. In 3 patients, the symptoms disappeared immediately. In 1 patient, it was necessary to perform a second embolization due to collateral circulation developing from a lumbar artery; this further procedure resolved the symptoms. In the last case, the patient underwent nephrectomy because of septic fever. In conclusion, patients with this syndrome refractory to medical treatment may be treated by the effective and minimally invasive procedures of percutaneous allograft artery embolization with no significant short-term or late complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Institute of General Surgery and Organ Transplantation, University of Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Capocasale
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Larini
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Mazzoni
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marcato
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dalla Valle
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Busi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Monaco
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Benozzi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sianesi
mesh_terms: D021721:Balloon Occlusion / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000628:therapy*; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017582:Renal Replacement Therapy; D014463:Ultrasonography