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  • Title: Kidney transplantation from living unrelated donors.
    Author: Alfani D, Pretagostini R, Bruzzone P, Smits J, Persijn G, Cortesini R.
    Journal: Clin Transpl; 1998; ():205-12. PubMed ID: 10503099.
    Abstract:
    Our center activated our living-related donor (LRD) kidney transplantation program in 1967 and the living-unrelated donor (LURD) kidney transplantation program in 1968. We performed 62 kidney transplants (of which 6 were LURD) under conventional immunosuppression therapy of the period. During the cyclosporine era, our group performed the first living-donor kidney transplant in 1982 and the first LURD transplant in Europe in 1983. Since then 184 LURD transplants (1/3 of all living kidney transplants) took place in our center under cyclosporine therapy. LURD remains a controversial procedure as a consequence of problems related both to the donor's risk, which can be reduced by careful medical evaluation and selection, and to the recipient's outcome, including the importance of HLA compatibility, as well as concerns about the danger of commercialism. According to international evidence, as well as our own experience, LURD kidney transplantation is a safe and effective approach to increase the donor pool. Living donor mortality is extremely low, while long-term graft survival is the same as that observed after LRD transplantation and is superior to that for cadaver donor transplantation. We do not recommend DST because the long-term survival benefits do not justify the risks of sensitization and infections. At least for primary transplants, there is not an increased risk of transplantation from a husband to his wife with previous pregnancies. The pretransplant screening of taboo HLA mismatches could be useful to increase long-term graft survival. It is our opinion that LURD transplantation should be considered at least as good a clinical option as cadaver donor transplantation for patients with end-stage renal failure. A selective advantage of this procedure is that dialysis could be avoided before transplantation, with significant socio-economic benefits and improved recipient quality of life.
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