Background: Controversies exist in the adult literature regarding the use of kidneys from small donors into larger recipients. Little is known regarding this issue in pediatric kidney transplantation. To assess the impact of donor/recipient size mismatch on long-term renal graft survival in pediatric patients undergoing living-donor renal transplantation.
Methods: We reviewed the United Network for Organ Sharing database from 1987 to 2010 for adolescent (11-18 years old) patients who underwent primary living-donor renal transplantation. According to donor/recipient body surface area (BSA) ratio, patients were stratified into two categories: BSA ratio <0.9 and ≥0.9. Graft survival rates were compared between these two groups using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards models.
Results: Of the 1880 patients identified, 116 (6.2%) had a donor/recipient BSA ratio <0.9 and 1764 (93.8%) had a donor/recipient BSA ratio ≥0.9 group. BSA ratio <0.9 conferred an increased risk of graft loss (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.61; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-2.27; P=0.008). Patients with a donor/recipient BSA ratio ≥0.9 group had a significantly longer graft survival compared with those with a donor/recipient BSA ratio <0.9 after adjustment for donor age and gender, recipient age, gender, ethnicity, cause of renal failure, as well as clinical factors, such as cold and warm ischemia time and HLA mismatch.
Conclusion: We conclude that low donor/recipient BSA ratio was associated with an increased risk of graft loss. Appropriate size matching conferred better long-term graft survival in adolescents receiving live-donor kidney transplants.