Does graft kidney weight have any impact on renal allograft function?

Introduction: Success of renal transplantation, besides other factors, depends on the total number of nephrons in the transplanted kidney. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of ratio of donor kidney weight (DKW) to recipient body weight (RBW) on renal allograft function. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study at our hospital on 245 patients who underwent live-related kidney transplant. Patients were divided into three groups depending on the ratio of DKW in grams to RBW in kilograms. Results: Mean age of the recipients was 40.19 ± 11.86 years (15–68 years) and donor was 46.18 ± 10.98 years (22–75 years). Male:female ratio for recipients and donors was 205:40 and 163:82, respectively. The decrease in mean creatinine level was more rapid in Group 3 patients as compared with Group 2 and Group 1 patients at 7 days and the trend continued till 3 years. Conclusion: The higher DKW/RBW ratio is an important factor for early function and late function of grafts. Extreme mismatch between the DKW and RBW should be kept in mind, and the DKW/RBW ratio can help us prognosticate patients' renal allograft function.