| Abstract: | We have analyzed 245 transplant aspirative cytologies (TACs) from 96 renal allograft patients. TACs were divided in two chronological groups: Early (TACs performed during the first 3-mo post-transplantation) and late (TACs performed after the third month post-transplantation), in order to assess the effect of allograft tolerance on TAC features. Both morphological and immunocytochemical aspects were evaluated, including CD4, CD8, IL2-R, and HLA-DR immunolabeling. A final diagnosis for each case of allograft dysfunction was achieved by other independent diagnostic means. Four diagnostic groups were considered in the present study: acute rejection (AR), chronic rejection (CR), acute tubular necrosis (ATN), and Cyclosporin A toxicity (CsA-T). In addition, a control group (C) was established from patients with stable allograft function. We found that immunocytochemical analysis of TACs is particularly helpful in the diagnosis of late allograft dysfunction, a time period when the simple cytological study of renal infiltrate is not informative enough to help take therapeutic decisions. |
