Kidney transplantation from anencephalic donors. Report of 5 cases and a review of the literature.

The results of five 'en bloc' kidney transplants from 5 anencephalic newborns are reported. The receptors were 8-50 years old. The graft survival 12 months after transplantation was 60%. The average plasma creatinine level the 1st month after transplantation was 4.0 +/- 0.8 mg/dl, after 6 months 1.5 +/- 0.8, and is currently 1.2 +/- 0.6 mg/dl. The follow-up time ranged from 17 to 55 months (mean 30.3 +/- 17.5 months). Two grafts were lost during the early posttransplantation period (due to arterial thrombosis and vascular rejection, respectively); the other grafts are still functioning. Two grafts showed initial oliguria. All of the patients required hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis for 5-60 days (mean 22.5 +/- 21.4 days). The time of cold ischemia ranged from 15 to 35 h (mean 25.6 +/- 7.7 h). The literature published on the subject is reviewed, and it is concluded that anencephalic donors are an acceptable option for transplantation.