Intra- and post-operative assessment of renal cortical perfusion by laser Doppler flowmetry in renal transplantation in the rat

Renal blood flow (RBF) in the period immediately following transplantation has an important prognostic value. Here we report for the first time on the use of laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) for the measurement of renal cortical perfusion (RCP) during all the important steps in renal transplantation. Left orthotopic kidney transplantation was performed in Lewis rats (n = 14) after 2 h of cold ischaemia and preservation in EuroCollins solution. Under baseline conditions, RCP in the donor and recipient kidneys were similar with a coefficient of variability of 11 and 12%, respectively. There was a progressive increase in RCP during the first 60 min after transplantation with a return to normal values 2 weeks later. In conclusion, LDF provides a rapid and continuous measure of RCP without interference to the operative site and may prove a useful tool for the measurement of RBF during kidney transplantation.