ABO-Incompatible Kidney Transplants Between Robot-Assisted vs. Open Surgery

A Comparative Study on Outcomes of ABO-Incompatible Kidney Transplants Between Robot-Assisted vs. Open Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study

While robot-assisted kidney transplantation (RAKT) offers potential benefits such as minimal postoperative pain, better cosmesis, fewer wound infections, and shorter hospital stay, its efficacy in ABO-incompatible (ABO-i) KT compared to open KT (OKT) remains understudied. This study aims to compare ABO-i KT outcomes between RAKT and OKT.

The study utilized data from 29 ABO-i RAKT and 210 ABO-i OKT cases performed at Asan Medical Center from October 2020 to February 2023. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate factors associated with a composite of biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR), de novo donor-specific antibodies (DSA), and overall graft failure.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patient eligible for living donor ABO incompatible kidney transplantation
• Presenting an IsoAgglutinin immunoglobulin G titer (anti-A-B) between 1/8 and 1/128 before operation
• Patient older than 18 years and young than 80 years
• Patient able to sign an informed consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient with comorbidities or hypersensitivity that prevent desensitization protocols
• Women who are pregnant, or who may become pregnant or breastfeeding women
• Subjects under legal protection
• Subjects participating in another interventional research protocol or in an exclusion period from another interventional research protocolPatient affiliated with a social security scheme