Masked kidney allograft failure after simultaneous liver and kidney transplantation: A case report

Kidney utilization for simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation (SLK) has seen a significant increase in recent years, driven by the rising prevalence of renal dysfunction among liver transplant candidates. However, a substantial proportion of SLK recipients experience native kidney function recovery post-transplant, rendering the kidney transplant unnecessary. This case report presents a remarkable instance of native renal function recovery in a SLK recipient, discovered eleven years after transplantation, when the transplanted kidney was found to have undergone extensive fibrosis and atrophy, masked by native kidney recovery. This case highlights the challenges posed by evaluation of SLK candidates and the need for improved tools to predict native kidney recovery. Safety net mechanism for those who do not recover kidney function should be utilized more to avoid the unnecessary utilization of scarce kidney allografts, which are critically needed for waitlisted patients with kidney failure.