Thyroid hormone in the treatment of post-transplant acute tubular necrosis (ATN)

Delayed graft function (DGF) in cadaver kidney transplants is a common problem and is often due to acute tubular necrosis (ATN). DGF in transplants may, have a deleterious effect on long-term graft survival. Since thyroid hormone has been shown to hasten recovery from ATN in experimental models, we designed a trial to determine if a defined course of triiodothyronine (T-3) would improve the short- or long-term outcome of patients with DGF in cadaveric transplants. A prospective, randomized, placebo controlled, double blind trial of T-3 was carried out in patients with DGF in cadaveric renal transplants. End-points were percentage requiring dialysis, percentage recovering function, time,to recovery and length of hospital stay. Long-term outcomes were percentage grafts functioning at 1 year and mean serum creatinine at 1 year. Forty-four patients were randomized to receive either T-3 or placebo. Three patients were dropped from each group when early biopsies disclosed that DGF was due to rejection. The groups were well matched by age, cold ischemia time of the graft, and percentage reactivity to a random panel of antigens. Baseline thyroid function studies, including T-3, reverse T-3 (rT(3)), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, were similar between the two groups and typical of 'euthyroid-sick syndrome'. T-3 had no effect on percentage requiring dialysis, time to recovery, percentage recovering function, or length of stay. At 1 year follow-up, graft function was similar in both groups and significantly, lower than that seen in patients with good initial function. Thyroid hormone, given early in the course of DGF in cadaver kidney recipients, had no effect on the course of DGF. Long-term graft function is impaired in patients who experience post-transplant DGF compared to those who have good initial function.