Abstract
Kidney transplantation (KT) can be complicated by medical or surgical complications. Surgical complications after KT may cause kidney graft dysfunction and may have similar clinical manifestations as medical complications. Surgical complications include hemorrhage, vascular complications (renal artery and vein thrombosis or stenosis), urinary complications (urine leaks or ureteral stricture), lymphocele, and wound infection. Hemorrhage is uncommon after KT, and usually resolves spontaneously with conservative management. Renal vascular thrombosis is an uncommon, but serious complication, usually leading to graft loss. Renal artery stenosis (RAS) is a treatable surgical complication post-KT that can cause hypertension and allograft dysfunction. Urologic complications, manifesting as urine leaks or ureteral obstruction, affect about 2–10% of kidney transplant recipients, and are associated with high morbidity, graft loss, and mortality. Lymphoceles occur with an incidence of 0.6–18%, and commonly develop a few weeks to months after KT. Surgical site infections (SSIs), which are one of the most common complications after KT, usually occur within the first month after KT. Surgical complications post-KT can cause significant morbidity that requires early recognition, diagnosis, and immediate treatment to optimize outcomes and graft survival.
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Ramirez, C.G.B. (2018). Kidney Transplantation: Surgical Complications. In: Ramirez, C., McCauley, J. (eds) Contemporary Kidney Transplantation. Organ and Tissue Transplantation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19617-6_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19617-6_15
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