Study protocol
Ahmedabad tolerance induction protocol and chronic renal allograft dysfunction: pathologic observations and clinical implications
Author affiliations
1 Department of Pathology, Laboratory Medicine, Transfusion Services and Immunohematology, G.R. Doshi and K.M. Mehta Institute of Kidney diseases And Research Centre and Dr. H.L. Trivedi Institute of Transplantation Sciences, Ahmedabad, India
2 Department of Nephrology and Transplantation Medicine, G.R. Doshi and K.M. Mehta Institute of Kidney diseases And Research Centre and Dr. H.L. Trivedi Institute of Transplantation Sciences, Ahmedabad, India
Citation and License
Diagnostic Pathology 2009, 4:4 doi:10.1186/1746-1596-4-4
Published: 30 January 2009Abstract
Background
Chronic Renal Allograft Dysfunction (CRAD) is responsible for a large number of graft failures. We have abrogated acute T-cell rejections using Ahmedabad Tolerance Induction Protocol (ATIP) with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) under non-myeloablative conditioning pre-transplant. However B-cell mediated rejections and CRAD continue to haunt us. We carried out retrospective analysis of renal allograft biopsies performed in the last 4 years to evaluate the effect of ATIP on CRAD.
Materials and methods
Biopsies diagnosed as per modified Banff criteria belonged to 2 groups: ATIP under low dose immunosuppression of cyclosporine/Azathioprine/Mycofenolate mofetil+ Prednisolone, subjected to donor leucocyte transfusion, anti-T/B cell antibodies, low dose target specific irradiation, cyclophosphamide, cyclosporin followed by HSCT pre-transplant; controls who opted out of ATIP were transplanted under standard triple drug immunosuppression. Demographics of both groups were comparable.
Results
Incidence of chronic changes was higher in controls (17.5%) vs. 10.98% in ATIP over a mean follow up of 151.9 months in the former and 130.9 months in the latter. Proteinuria and hypertension were higher in controls (48.4%) vs. ATIP (32.7%) with chronic transplant glomerulopathy, focal global sclerosis in 67.7% in controls vs. 46.7% in ATIP, acute on chronic T/B cell rejection in 51.6% controls vs. 28.1% ATIP, with peritubular capillary C4d deposits in 19.4% controls vs. 1.9% ATIP biopsies. Acute on chronic calcineurin inhibitor toxicity was higher in ATIP (71.9%) vs. 48.4% in controls.
Conclusion
Chronic immune injury was less with ATIP vs controls as compared to a higher incidence of chronic calcineurin inhibitor toxicity in the former.
