[Histocompatibility tests in a transplantation program].
The importance of the role of the histocompatibility laboratory in solid organ transplantation is to perform HLA typing and determine the degree of HLA matching between recipient/donor. It is a useful tool to increase graft survival and decrease chronic rejection. HLA matching has a positive effect on kidney transplants and it has variable impact on other organ transplants. The crossmatch procedure is the most important test in a solid organ transplantation to evaluate the presence of recipient antibodies to antigens expressed on donor white cells. This test decreases the risk of hyperacute humoral rejection or early graft loss. Positive crossmatch is a contraindication for transplantation because it represents the existence of IgG recipient antibodies that will reath againts donor antigens. Antibody evaluation is important in donor-recipient selection and the responsability of the histocompatibility laboratory is to identify clinically relevant anti-donor HLA antibodies. This detection is useful to determine the degree of humoral alloimmunization, expressed as a percent panel reactive antibody (%PRA). This test also provides information about the antibody specificity and can be used for evaluate a patient's immune status providing a significant correlation in selecting donors.
de-Leo-Cervantes
Claudia
C
Laboratorio de Histocompatibilidad, Departamento de Trasplantes, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, México, DF. cdeleoc@yahoo.com
D000918:Antibody Specificity; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing; D006801:Humans; D007518:Isoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D014019:Tissue Donors; D014181:Transplantation Immunology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000276:immunology
D006680:HLA Antigens; D007518:Isoantibodies