Extracorporeal Irradiation of the Blood

The clinical results of necro‐kidney transplantation after extracorporeal irradiation of the blood (ECIB) are presented. The patient material consists of 91 consecutively transplanted patients; only first necro‐kidney grafts are considered. Thirty‐seven patients received ECIB before as well as immediately following transplantation (group I), 54 patients did not receive ECIB (group II). The clinical results are evaluated from the number and severity of rejection episodes, the graft survival and the clinical rank. In group I the total number of rejection episodes was significantly reduced within the first 2 months (p<0.01) and the number of patients without rejection during a total observation period of 26 months was significantly higher (p <0.01). The graft survival after 6 months was increased by 25% (p<0.05); after 12 months the number of observations was too small to permit a reliable analysis. The clinical rank after 6 months was better in group I (p <0.05) but indistinguishable after 12 months. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding the number of complicating severe infections caused by bacteria, virus or fungi.