Feasibility of the automated column agglutination technique for titration of anti‐A/B antibodies in ABO‐incompatible living kidney transplantation

Introduction Quantitative measurement of anti‐A/‐B antibody titers is important during ABO‐incompatible living kidney transplantation (ABOi‐LKT). Methods We conducted a multi‐institutional study to measure the antibody titers using the automated column agglutination technique (auto‐CAT) and tube test (TT) method in ABOi‐LKT recipients. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the two methods. Results We examined 111 samples from 35 ABOi‐LKT recipients at four institutions. The correlation coefficient of the two methods was >0.9; the concordance rate and clinically acceptable concordance rate for the IgG titers were 60.4% and 88.3%, respectively. Perioperative status did not influence the statistical significance. Parallel changes were observed in the IgG antibody titers measured using the auto‐CAT or TT technique by desensitizing therapy in time‐course monitoring. Conclusion Auto‐CAT is comparable with the TT technique and is feasible for IgG anti‐A/B antibody titration in ABOi‐LKT recipients.