[Long-term outcome of patients with renal transplant and neural tube defect]

Purpose: To evaluate the long term outcome of renal transplant in patients with a neural tube defect causing voiding dysfunctions.

Patient and methods: Between 1993 and 2010, 18 cadaveric renal transplants were performed in 16 patients (5 females and 11 males) older than 15 years with a neural tube defect and voiding dysfunction.

Results: The patients had dialysis since the mean age of 27.4 and have been transplanted at the mean age of 32.2. The survival rate of the first kidney transplant was 93.75% at 1 year and 63.3% at 5 and 10 years respectively. With a mean follow-up of 6.67 years, 11 out of 16 first transplants remained functional (68.75%) The median survival of the first transplants was 13.52 years. At the end of the follow-up, 13 out of 18 transplants were still functional (72.2%). The mean serum creatinine level was 123.9 micromol/l with a mean glomerular filtration rate estimated by the simplified MDRD formula of 67 ml/min for the 13 still functional transplants. Before transplantation, 66% of patients had a neuro-urologic assessment versus 100% thereafter.

Conclusion: Renal transplantation in patients with neural tube defect is feasible without surgical particularities to those of other renal failure causes. These type of patients represented less than 1% of the followed cohort with an average graft survival rate of 63.3% at five and 10 years. The median survival time of the first graft was 13.52 years.