Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Related donors for kidney transplantation have high age, with a certain incidence rate of pulmonary disease.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence rate of thorax abnormalities among a cohort of potential living kidney donors and assess the necessity of routinely performing thorax computed tomography.
METHODS: 127 potential living donors at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University who underwent thorax computed tomography and chest radiography as part of their kidney donor evaluation ranging from July 2009 to April 2011 were identified. Subjects with hypertension, diabetes and blood type incompatibility were excluded. Their radiographic data were reviewed for abnormalities by two radiologists. The effects on approval for kidney donation were also determined.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Among 127 potential kidney donors, the most common abnormalities were pneumonia (15.0%), emphysema (7.9%), parenchymal scarring-fibrosis (6.3%), pleural thickening (3.1%), and pleural effusion (3.1%). CT identified thorax problems more often than did chest radiography except for fibrosis (P < 0.05). Furthermore, pneumonia occurred in a higher proportion in the winter (P < 0.05), while emphysema occurred in a higher proportion in the donors with smoking history (P < 0.01). Nevertheless, the majority of imaging findings are not perceived to be harmful enough to prevent kidney donation, only one case with interstitial lung disease was excluded from donation after poor response to treatment protocol. Results verified that incidental radiographic abnormalities of thorax are common in potential living donors. Living donors, especially smokers or operating in winter season should routinely undertake thorax CT before the operation.