Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for patients with end stage renal disease to optimize survival, freedom from morbidity and quality of life. A fundamental aspect of the pre-transplant assessment is a thorough understanding of their immunological history and prior exposures, so that the immunological risk from a given donor can be estimated, if not quantified, in order to guide interventions to optimize transplant access and success. The methodologies available to complete this assessment have evolved rapidly, with flow cytometric based analyses now standard in many laboratories, availability of comprehensive molecular methods for HLA typing of both donors and recipients, and an increasing recognition of the vital dialogue that must occur between the HLA laboratory and transplant clinicians. This review considers the pre-transplant histocompatibility assessment journey that a recipient undertakes, from initial referral through transplantation, discussing the methodologies used, the benefits and limitations offered by current technologies, and reviewing the basics of interpretation.
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