Kidney Study Provides Hope

New research shows that evaluating donor kidney tissue under a microscope may predict a successful transplant, even when using donated kidneys from older adults.

According to a study in The New England Journal of Medicine, Piero Ruggenenti, M.D., and others from the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Italy discovered that the evaluated donor kidneys, regardless of their age, had about the same success rate as a young (but not microscopically evaluated) kidney, long considered to be the best option for transplantation.

"In terms of organ procurement, we're not doing a bad job," said Eric Cohen, M.D., a professor of medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. "But in terms of usable kidneys, there is much more to be done," he added.

Opening the pool of organs to those older than 60 is a start. Although the study size was small, the implications for an expanding donor pool are not insignificant, according to Cohen. "Even if a transplanted organ eventually fails, the relative gain over time is better than staying on dialysis," Cohen said (myDNA.com).