[National prospective survey on the surgical quality of renal transplants in France. Study conducted by the Association Française d'Urologie Transplantation Committee].
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this prospective study was to describe the nature of the lesions observed during brain-dead cadavre donor kidney harvesting in France and to identify the risk factors for these lesions.


METHODS
A questionnaire elaborated by the AFU Transplantation Committee concerning the quality of kidneys harvested from cadavre donors was sent to all centres performing renal transplantation in France in 2000. This prospective study was conducted over a period of 1 year and concerned the overall multi-organ harvesting procedure based on all data concerning the renal parenchyma, arteriovenous and ureteric characteristics, and the outcome of the transplants.


RESULTS
Twelve centres completed the survey, allowing analysis of the data of 201 donor kidneys. 91% of harvesting surgeons were urologists. Various incidents were reported during 11% of harvesting procedures, but 1/3 of the abnormalities were not recorded by the harvesting surgeon. Isolated kidney harvesting was found to be a risk factor (20% vs 8.6%). The rate of parenchymal abnormalities was 50%, 2/3 of which were related to inadequate removal of perirenal fat. Atheroma was a risk factor for arterial lesions during harvesting (21% vs 6.50). Venous abnormalities were detected in 9% of cases: 89% of them were due to the harvesting procedure and 59% of them were not identified by the harvesting surgeon. The fact of not being a transplant surgeon was a risk factor for venous lesions (21.9% vs 6.5%). 4% of ureteric lesions were observed with no consequence on graft outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
Adequate removal of perirenal fat before conditioning is not acquired. Isolated kidney harvesting and atheroma were risk factors for parenchymal and arterial lesions, respectively. Venous harvesting anomalies were more frequent among non-transplant surgeons.
Verhoest
Grégory
G
Service d'Urologie, CHU Pontchaillou, Rennes, France. gregory.verhoest@wanadoo.fr
Salomon
Laurent
L
Barrou
Benoît
B
Bensalah
Karim
K
Guille
François
F
Lobel
Bernard
B
Petit
Jacques
J
Boutin
Jean-Michel
JM
Descotes
Jean-Luc
JL
Dore
Bertrand
B
Staerman
Frédéric
F
Benoit
Gérard
G
Badet
Lionel
L
Hubert
Jacques
J
Lechevallier
Eric
E
Patard
Jean-Jacques
JJ
D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000592:standards*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011786:Quality Control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires