Pelvic nerve neuropathy after kidney transplantation.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the relation of various age, gender, diabetes, hypertension, and graft function with the prevalence of femoral and lateral cutaneous nerves sensory and/or motor disturbances after kidney transplantation.


METHODS
Among 129 patients who underwent kidney transplantation from April 2001 to March 2002. We excluded, 10 due to preoperative sensory disturbances. We evaluated the prevalence of sensory and/or motor disturbances preoperatively by physical examination and postoperatively by both physical and electromyography examinations. The clinical findings were correlated with the following risk factors: age, gender, preoperative dialysis duration, background diseases. (e.g., diabetes, hypertension), graft weight, nephron mass index, operative and retraction time, and rejection episodes.


RESULTS
At 1 to 9 days postoperatively, 31 ng (26%) patients, suffered neuropathy of the lateral cutaneous nerve and 4 (3.3%), femoral neuropathy. No meaningful relation was detected between the incidence of neuropathy and these risk factors. The probability of neuropathy was greater among diabetics, hypertensives, women, and those with graft rejection episodes. All of these complaints were temporary.


CONCLUSIONS
Post-kidney transplant femoral and/or lateral cutaneous nerve neuropathy is a prevalent complication particularly in diabetic, hypertensive, and female patients. Neuropathy is also more evident after graft rejection.
Nikoobakht
M
M
Urology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. nikoobakht_m@hotmail.com
Mahboobi
A
A
Saraji
A
A
Mehrsai
A
A
Emamzadeh
A
A
Mahmoudi
M T
MT
Pourmand
G
G
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D009443:Neuritis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010388:Pelvis / Q000294:innervation; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence