Use of Intrarenal Needle Manometry in Acute Renal Dysfunction Following Renal Transplantation

Intrarenal manometry (IRM) using the Salaman fine-needle technique was routinely performed in 28 renal transplant patients in order to make the differential diagnosis of acute tubular necrosis, cyclosporin nephrotoxocity, and acute rejection. A total of 246 IRM determinations with simultaneous percutaneous renal biopsies were obtained in cases of acute renal failure following a renal transplant. Normal IRM values were 21.4 ± 1.3 mm Hg. After collecting the clinical data, cyclosporin levels, ultrasound information, response to therapy, and renal biopsy results, we retrospectively obtained 49 IRM measurements in acute rejection, 9 in cyclosporin nephrotoxicity, and 26 in acute tubular necrosis. The values in acute rejection (41.3 ± 9.5 mm Hg) were significantly different from the normally functioning kidneys, cyclosporin nephrotoxicity, or acute tubular necrosis. The values in cyclosporin nephrotoxicity were slightly elevated when compared to the normal or acute tubular necrosis determinations (p < 0.04) but were still significantly lower than the acute rejection. Our results suggest that IRM represents a useful technique in the approach to the acute renal dysfunction in renal transplant recipients.