A randomized, multi-center, prospective study comparing best medical treatment versus best medical treatment plus renal artery stenting in patients with hemodynamically relevant atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (RADAR) - one-year results of a pre-maturely terminated study.

Background: The indications for conservative "best medical treatment" (BMT) versus additional renal artery stenting are a matter of ongoing debate. The RADAR study aimed to evaluate the impact of percutaneous renal artery stenting on the impaired renal function in patients with hemodynamically significant atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (RAS).

Methods: RADAR is an international, prospective, randomized (1:1) controlled study comparing BMT alone versus BMT plus renal artery stenting in patients with duplex sonographic hemodynamically relevant RAS.

Decreased renal transplant function after parathyroidectomy.

Background: Persistent secondary hyperparathyroidism after renal transplantation may require parathyroidectomy (PTX). Clinical experience suggests that these patients commonly develop decreased renal function thereafter.

Methods: To test this notion, we evaluated 76 transplant patients who underwent pararhyroidectomy between 1997 and 2003.

Safety and adequacy of renal transplant protocol biopsies.

The protocol biopsy strategy has been criticized because of risks and marginal utility. We tested the risk. We performed 1171 protocol biopsies in 508 patients at 6, 12 and 26 weeks after renal transplantation, as well as 499 biopsies as indicated in 429 transplant patients.

Risk factors for chronic allograft nephropathy after renal transplantation: a protocol biopsy study.

Background: Chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) leads to chronic allograft dysfunction and loss. Regular renal transplant biopsies may be useful to find risk factors for CAN.

Methods: We carried out 688 protocol biopsies in 258 patients at 6, 12, and 26 weeks after renal transplantation.

Prognostic value of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and CD40 in biopsies with early renal allograft rejection.

After renal transplantation, different immunological and non-immunological factors lead to long-term allograft deterioration. Acute rejection episodes are one risk factor for chronic renal allograft dysfunction (CRAD). Following the current Banff classification the histological grade in acute rejection episodes is of limited prognostic value, therefore, additional morphological surrogate markers would be helpful.