Ureteral complications after living donor kidney transplantation at Santa Casa of São Paulo

Abstract

Introduction: Among urethral complications, the most common are fistula, stenosis and reflux, happening in about 2 to 10% of transplanted patients. Objective: The aim of the present study was to analyze the urethral complications in the living donor kidney transplantation. Method: A retrospective study of 101 kidney-transplanted patients (60 male, 41 female) at Santa Casa of São Paulo between 1977 and 2005 was performed. Results: From an amount of 9 urethral complications (8.9%), there was 1 case of urethral stenosis, 7 cases of urinary fistula, and 1 case of urethral obstruction due to urethral calculi. There were no cases of vesicourethral reflux. In 6 cases, early complications were diagnosed within the first month after surgery. From all cases, 7 happened in the 14 initial years of kidney transplantations, and after 1991, there were only 2 cases reported. Conclusion: Urethral complications of living donor renal transplantation in an adult population was a rare event in our experience (8.9%), and most of them often observed during the first years of the experience in our institution.