Reliability of Pre-Transplant Live Donor Renal Biopsies in Predicting the Graft Outcome

Background: Biopsy from deceased donors is of great value in predicting the efficacy and mid-term and long-term outcome of kidney transplantation. Objective: To determine the prevalence of pathological changes in live donors’ kidneys and their association with the graft outcome. Methods: This cohort study was performed among a group of renal transplant recipients. Biopsy was taken from donor’s kidney. The functionality of the grafted kidney was then evaluated by measuring serum creatinine, based on which, the patients were categorized into “successful” and “unsuccessful” groups. The results were compared based on biopsy results. Result: We studied 58 kidneys from live donors. The mean±SD urine volume on the first day after transplantation was 10,052±3286 mL. Absence of allograft dysfunction was seen in 55 (95%) patients during a month, 51 (88%) patients in 6 months, and 53 (91%) within a year. Glomerulosclerosis was seen in 20 (35%) patients, fibrosis in 9 (16%), tubular atrophy in 5 (9%), and intimal fibrosis in 3 (5%). The mean±SD serum creatinine in patients within 1-month survival was 1.15±0.19, within 3-month survival was 1.17±0.20, within 6-month survival was 1.21±0.20, within 9-month survival was 1.43±1.28, and within 1-year survival was 1.14±0.22. Conclusion: Kidney biopsy from live donors can show us a general status of kidney. Serum creatinine is the test of choice for evaluating the grafted kidney function.