Transplant InternationalPub Date : 2026-07-16eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/ti.2026.16478
Maria Kahanpää, Jouni Lauronen, Marko Lempinen, Kaisa Ahopelto, Ville Sallinen, Ilkka Helanterä
{"title":"Long-term HLA-incompatible kidney transplant outcomes.","authors":"Maria Kahanpää, Jouni Lauronen, Marko Lempinen, Kaisa Ahopelto, Ville Sallinen, Ilkka Helanterä","doi":"10.3389/ti.2026.16478","DOIUrl":"10.3389/ti.2026.16478","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many centers avoid human leukocyte antigen (HLA) -incompatible kidney transplantations due to increased risk of graft loss, although it may be the only option for highly sensitized patients. We assessed the association of pre-transplant donor-specific HLA-antibodies (DSAs) with biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR), antibody mediated rejection (AMR), and death-censored graft survival (DCGS). All deceased donor kidney transplantations in Finland between 2006 and 2021 were included (n = 3209), with 226 DSA-positive recipients. DSA characteristics, including specificity and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI), were collected. DSAs were associated with worse DCGS, higher risk of BPAR (HR 3.22, 95% CI 2.57-4.04), and especially AMR (HR 35.1, CI 22.4-55.1). Higher cumulative MFI was associated with lower 10-year DCGS (no-DSA 83%, ≥10,000 66%). A similar trend was seen in multivariable models (HR 1.81, CI 0.995-3.27 for MFI ≥10,000). Class II DSAs indicated higher risk for BPAR (HR 4.2 vs. HR 3.1), and AMR (HR 32.3 vs. HR 21.9), than class I DSAs. Collectively, pretransplant DSAs and higher cumulative MFI were associated with poorer graft survival, and especially class II DSAs were associated with higher risk of AMR. However, DCGS with even very high-level pretransplant DSA could be considered acceptable, supporting consideration of HLA-incompatible transplantations for highly sensitized patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":23343,"journal":{"name":"Transplant International","volume":"39 ","pages":"16478"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13422208/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148631615","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Transplant InternationalPub Date : 2026-07-14eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/ti.2026.17015
Nina Pilat, Maria Irene Bellini, Thierry Berney, Olivier Aubert
{"title":"AI in transplantation: levelling the playing field and raising the methodological standards.","authors":"Nina Pilat, Maria Irene Bellini, Thierry Berney, Olivier Aubert","doi":"10.3389/ti.2026.17015","DOIUrl":"10.3389/ti.2026.17015","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23343,"journal":{"name":"Transplant International","volume":"39 ","pages":"17015"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13407381/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148607935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Transplant InternationalPub Date : 2026-07-14eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/ti.2026.17127
Olivier Thaunat, Colin Wilson
{"title":"Nurturing a Sustainable Transplantation Journey: the best of ESOT Congress 2025.","authors":"Olivier Thaunat, Colin Wilson","doi":"10.3389/ti.2026.17127","DOIUrl":"10.3389/ti.2026.17127","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23343,"journal":{"name":"Transplant International","volume":"39 ","pages":"17127"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13407382/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148607963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Transplant InternationalPub Date : 2026-07-14eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/ti.2026.16594
Emma K Massey, Eline Bunnik, Louise Maasdam, Frank J M F Dor, Jacqueline van de Wetering
{"title":"Living kidney donation prior to euthanasia: medical, psychological and ethical considerations.","authors":"Emma K Massey, Eline Bunnik, Louise Maasdam, Frank J M F Dor, Jacqueline van de Wetering","doi":"10.3389/ti.2026.16594","DOIUrl":"10.3389/ti.2026.16594","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Living kidney donation <i>prior to</i> euthanasia has never previously been reported and is not incorporated into current clinical guidelines. This study aims to discuss the unique medical, procedural, psychological and ethical considerations of living donation prior to euthanasia based on 3 Dutch cases. Of the 3 candidates, 2 successfully donated without detrimental effects to physical or mental health; one was declined for medical reasons. In two cases, euthanasia has been performed; in one case donation was transformative and the request for euthanasia was withdrawn after donation. Medically, normal life-expectancy after donor nephrectomy should be presumed as euthanasia remains uncertain. Procedurally, timing can create tension between these two processes as postponing euthanasia could be harmful. Psychologically, potential exacerbation in psychopathology should be weighed against the impact of being declined for donation. Ethically, autonomy, capacity to consent and risk-benefit ratio must be rigorously assessed, especially given the degree of suffering in these cases. We conclude that living donation and euthanasia should be seen as independent processes and a euthanasia request should not be considered an absolute contra-indication for living donation. Our initial experiences underscore the need for international dialogue and policy development.</p>","PeriodicalId":23343,"journal":{"name":"Transplant International","volume":"39 ","pages":"16594"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13407378/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148607914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Transplant InternationalPub Date : 2026-07-13eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/ti.2026.16600
Shams-Ud-Din, Bigyan Acharya, Abdul Wahab Dogar, Mohammad Arsalan, Muhammad Umar, Syed Hasnain Abbas
{"title":"Bidirectional portal vein reconstruction for type C anatomy in living donor liver transplant.","authors":"Shams-Ud-Din, Bigyan Acharya, Abdul Wahab Dogar, Mohammad Arsalan, Muhammad Umar, Syed Hasnain Abbas","doi":"10.3389/ti.2026.16600","DOIUrl":"10.3389/ti.2026.16600","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23343,"journal":{"name":"Transplant International","volume":"39 ","pages":"16600"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13402223/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148680180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Transplant InternationalPub Date : 2026-07-10eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/ti.2026.16484
Jennifer Mehew, Helen Thomas, Peter Friend, Simon Knight
{"title":"Acceptance of deceased donor livers in the United Kingdom - development of a liver \"donor utilisation index\".","authors":"Jennifer Mehew, Helen Thomas, Peter Friend, Simon Knight","doi":"10.3389/ti.2026.16484","DOIUrl":"10.3389/ti.2026.16484","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Published Donor Risk Indices are often used to estimate the risk associated with transplanting a donor liver. Such indices have been constructed by considering only livers that are transplanted and estimating the risk of graft loss or patient death. Until now, there has been no index available that reflects the chance of an offered organ not being transplanted in the United Kingdom (UK). This paper presents a UK Donor Utilisation Index (UKDUI) which quantifies the impact of donor factors upon liver non-use. By comparing our developed UKDUI with a commonly used UK Donor Risk Index, we are able to see that there are differences between the factors that influence liver non-use and the factors that influence liver post-transplant outcomes. Importantly, this UKDUI can be used in future studies to characterise and identify offered livers that are either more or less likely to be transplanted. For example, the UKDUI can be used for study inclusion criteria or for risk adjustment/stratification.</p>","PeriodicalId":23343,"journal":{"name":"Transplant International","volume":"39 ","pages":"16484"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13395755/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148585258","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Transplant InternationalPub Date : 2026-07-08eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/ti.2026.17169
Emmanouil Giorgakis, Ioannis A Ziogas, Dimitrios Moris, Dimitrios N Varvoglis, Charalampos Theocharopoulos, Dor Yoeli, Megan A Adams, Andrew S Barbas, Martin I Montenovo, Melissa Chen, Sorabh Kapoor, Esteban Calderon, Andrew M Moon, Sasha Deutch-Link, Hersh Shroff, Neil D Shah, Oren K Fix, A Sidney Barritt, Amit K Mathur, Trevor L Nydam, Chirag S Desai, Paulo N Martins, Andrea Schlegel
{"title":"Correction: Transplantation of older DCD livers in the machine perfusion era: a U.S. cohort study.","authors":"Emmanouil Giorgakis, Ioannis A Ziogas, Dimitrios Moris, Dimitrios N Varvoglis, Charalampos Theocharopoulos, Dor Yoeli, Megan A Adams, Andrew S Barbas, Martin I Montenovo, Melissa Chen, Sorabh Kapoor, Esteban Calderon, Andrew M Moon, Sasha Deutch-Link, Hersh Shroff, Neil D Shah, Oren K Fix, A Sidney Barritt, Amit K Mathur, Trevor L Nydam, Chirag S Desai, Paulo N Martins, Andrea Schlegel","doi":"10.3389/ti.2026.17169","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/ti.2026.17169","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/ti.2026.16689.].</p>","PeriodicalId":23343,"journal":{"name":"Transplant International","volume":"39 ","pages":"17169"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13390353/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148563042","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Transplant InternationalPub Date : 2026-07-08eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/ti.2026.16459
Jaden Blazier, Eline M Bunnik, Valerie Kortekaas, Esther W de Bekker-Grob, Maartje H N Schermer, Niels van der Kaaij, Robert Minnee, Olivier Manintveld, Jeroen De Jonge, Emma K Massey
{"title":"Patient perspectives on the ethics and acceptability of perfusion techniques for organ transplantation: a qualitative study.","authors":"Jaden Blazier, Eline M Bunnik, Valerie Kortekaas, Esther W de Bekker-Grob, Maartje H N Schermer, Niels van der Kaaij, Robert Minnee, Olivier Manintveld, Jeroen De Jonge, Emma K Massey","doi":"10.3389/ti.2026.16459","DOIUrl":"10.3389/ti.2026.16459","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Perfusion technologies preserve and/or improve organ viability by restoring circulation to donor organs either outside the body (machine perfusion, MP) or inside the body of the deceased donor (normothermic regional perfusion, NRP). Ethical debates surrounding perfusion raise questions about its acceptability for transplant recipients. This study explores patient perspectives on perfusion techniques and preferences regarding informed consent. Five online focus groups were conducted with 32 kidney, liver, and heart patients, both pre- and post-transplant. Sessions were analyzed using qualitative content analysis in Atlas.ti. Participants were generally accepting of MP and NRP, valuing clinical benefits. However, they were more hesitant toward NRP due to ethical concerns about post-mortem use of the donor's body and potential emotional impacts on donor families. Drivers of acceptance were patients' medical urgency and certainty that donor and donor family were respected. Most participants wanted to receive detailed information about perfusion techniques. While patients were broadly accepting of perfusion techniques, NRP raised more concerns than MP. To ensure ethical implementation and social acceptability as these technologies evolve, patient perspectives should be embedded into perfusion guidelines, informed consent processes, and policy development.</p>","PeriodicalId":23343,"journal":{"name":"Transplant International","volume":"39 ","pages":"16459"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13388232/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148563099","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Transplant InternationalPub Date : 2026-07-03eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/ti.2026.16661
Arnaud Del Bello, Anna Goujon, Diana Kassab, Thomas Prudhomme, Alexandre Frontczak, Thibault Culty
{"title":"Allograft nephrectomy: a systematic review of immunological consequences and management of immunosuppressants.","authors":"Arnaud Del Bello, Anna Goujon, Diana Kassab, Thomas Prudhomme, Alexandre Frontczak, Thibault Culty","doi":"10.3389/ti.2026.16661","DOIUrl":"10.3389/ti.2026.16661","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Allograft nephrectomy (AN) is a serious complication of kidney transplantation. Beyond surgical morbidity, AN has important immunological implications. We performed a systematic review to synthesize current evidence on the immunological impact of AN and post-allograft failure immunosuppressive strategies. A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. PubMed/Medline® was searched for studies published from 01/2000 to 03/2026 on transplantectomy indications and surgical techniques. Eligible designs included meta-analyses, randomized trials, and prospective or retrospective studies evaluating the immunological impact of AN and/or immunosuppression management before, during, or after graft removal in adult or pediatric kidney transplant recipients returning to dialysis. Consistent evidence indicates that immunosuppression withdrawal is the principal driver of allosensitization after graft failure. Multiple studies demonstrated marked increases in anti-HLA antibodies following the cessation of immunosuppression, regardless of nephrectomy status. When AN was performed under maintained immunosuppression, its independent effect on sensitization and retransplant outcomes appeared limited. Meta-analyses showed comparable survival after retransplantation, although higher PRA levels, delayed graft function, and acute rejection were more frequent in patients with prior nephrectomy. Allosensitization after graft failure is primarily driven by immunosuppression withdrawal/reduction rather than AN itself. Individualized immunosuppressive management balancing immunological and infectious risks is essential.</p>","PeriodicalId":23343,"journal":{"name":"Transplant International","volume":"39 ","pages":"16661"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13375601/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148580229","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}