Successful Treatment of Recurrent Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis After Transplantation in Children: A Single-Center Experience

We aim to report our experience managing cases of recurrent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in a group of pediatric renal transplant recipients. This study was a retrospective chart review of pediatric patients who had their first kidney transplant at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center between 2014 and 2016. We reviewed the files of 6 patients, 3 of whom were male. The median age of the children was 2.75 years (range, 2–4 years) at disease onset, with an average time of progression to end-stage renal disease of 19 months (range, 8–30 months). Five of the patients received a living related donor transplant, and 1 received a living nonrelated donor transplant. Patients had FSGS recurrence at varying intervals (1 to 3 days) post transplant. All cases had plasmapheresis prior to receiving abatacept or rituximab. The therapeutic strategy in 4 patients involved switching tacrolimus to cyclosporine. A complete response was observed in 5 of the 6 patients (83.3%), and treatment was well tolerated in 5 patients. Patient 1 had severe oliguria and required intermittent hemodialysis during the first 3 weeks post transplant. He showed minimal response to the therapeutic plasma exchange and rituximab and was subsequently treated with abatacept. However, he died 8 months post transplant of pneumonia and sepsis. Rituximab and switching tacrolimus to cyclosporine, in conjunction with plasmapheresis, appeared to be effective and safe in children with recurrent FSGS. Conversely, abatacept did not appear to provide clinical benefit.