Technical Problems in Renal Transplantation

Renal transplant is accepted as the ideal treatment in patients with chronic renal failure and needing renal replacement therapy. It is more cost-effective than maintenance dialysis and provides patients with better quality of life. However, it is a major surgical procedure and includes a vascular component and urological component. Wide variations in the renal vascular anatomy and problems in reconstruction of the urinary tract in patients with preexisting urinary problems present a variety of technical problems to the surgical team. The current review discusses some of the commonly encountered difficulties.