The kidney transplant histocompatibility study: a preliminary survey.

A collaborative study of the relationship between HLA-A and B matching and renal allograft survival was begun in 1974 under the auspices of the Transplantation and Immunology Branch of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. This project, the Kidney Transplant Histocompatibility Study (KTHS) eventually involved 45 hospitals in 8 separate geographical regions. Standardized methods of serotyping were adopted and extensive information was collected concerning preoperative recipient data, donor data, HLA match, and recipient follow-up. A total of 2418 consecutive renal transplant procedures performed between January 1, 1974 and December 31, 1976 were analyzed (1533 cadaver (CD) and 885 living related (LRD)). A minimum of 3 yrs of post-transplant follow-up is reported.