Abstract
Objective
To review the outcome of renal transplantation in a group of patients treated with chronic peritoneal dialysis and to compare the results with those of a matched population on hemodialysis.
Design
Retrospective study.
Setting
Tertiary, institutional hospital, administering to a population of two million, with 100 patients on peritoneal dialysis. Six hundred and sixty renal transplantations were performed by the end of 1993.
Patients
Fifty-six patients on chronic peritoneal dialysis who received 58 cadaveric renal allografts were compared to 58 patients on hemodialysis who received a graft from the same donor (n = 39), or the transplant next to the one performed to the corresponding patient on peritoneal dialysis (n = 19).
Results
Patients on peritoneal dialysis showed a lower rate of delayed graft function (24.1 vs 50%, p < 0.05) and a similar incidence of acute rejection than patients on hemodialysis. Also, peritoneal dialysis patients received less supplementary immunosuppression, suffered a lower incidence of late infections (0.93 vs 0.58 episodes/patient), and had a similar incidence of dialysis-related complications (0.25 vs 0.20 episodes/patient).
Conclusions
Patients on peritoneal dialysis do well after renal transplantation. The incidence of some complications, particularly delayed graft function, is lower than in patients on hemodialysis, while the incidence of dialysis-associated complications is similar in both groups.
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