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Women of reproductive age who have received a solid-organ transplant are at risk for unplanned pregnancy. Fertility can return as soon as 1 month after transplantation, and the baseline unplanned pregnancy rate in the United States is approximately 50%. Pregnancy, although not absolutely contraindicated in this population, carries risk greater than the general population and should be timed with regard to medication regimen and organ function. The Centers for Disease Control categorizes every form of contraception as Category 2-benefits outweigh risks-in women with an uncomplicated transplantation. There is a large range of contraceptive options, varying in drug formulation, route of delivery, and discrepancy between "perfect" and "typical" use. Long-acting reversible contraceptive methods include intrauterine devices (IUDs) and subdermal implants and show great promise for women with solid-organ transplant. These methods have excellent efficacy, eliminate user error, and, in the case of IUDs, have extremely low or no systemic drug absorption. Providers have historical concerns regarding the association of IUD and infection; however, modern studies have shown their safety in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. Women with a history of solid-organ transplantation can be safely offered a wide range of contraceptive options to suit their individualized needs.

Background: BK virus nephropathy (BKVN) is an important cause of renal graft loss in recent years. The aims of this study are to (1) describe the management of patients undergoing retransplantation after allograft loss in the setting of BKVN and (2) to identify risk factors for BK virus replication in the retransplant., Methods: This retrospective study compiled data on adult patients undergoing repeat transplantation after previous loss of allograft to BKVN from six U.S. centers. Clinical, laboratory, and histopathologic data for both the transplant that failed because of BKVN and the retransplant were abstracted and reviewed., Results: A total of 31 patients underwent retransplantation after a median of 6 months after failure of the first allograft, with 10 of 31 undergoing preemptive retransplantation. Twenty-six patients had documented clearance of viremia and 13 underwent transplant nephrectomy before the retransplant. Two of six centers had changed immunosuppression protocols for the retransplants. After repeat transplant, 11 (35%) had BKV replication in urine and plasma with two patients experiencing BKVN. Seven had acute rejection. In univariate analysis, documented viremia clearance after BKVN in the initial transplant was significantly associated with the absence of BKV replication after repeat transplantation. Serum creatinine was significantly higher at 1 year in patients with BKV replication. One graft loss occurred due to rejection., Conclusions: Retransplantation is safe and effective for patients with previous graft loss due to BKVN preferably post-BK viral clearance.

Background: Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a common cause of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis resulting in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The optimal timing of kidney transplantation (KTX) for ESRD as a result of AAV and the risk of AAV relapse after KTX are not well defined. We report our experience with AAV patients who underwent KTX at our institutions between 1996 and 2010. Median follow-up was 64 months., Methods: Retrospective multicenter cohort study., Results: Eighty-five patients (45 men/40 women; mean age 49 years) received a KTX for ESRD secondary to microscopic polyangiitis (n=43) or Wegener's granulomatosis (n=42). Twenty-four patients underwent preemptive KTX and 69 received a living-donor KTX. All patients were in remission at the time of KTX. Fifty-eight patients received induction therapy. In 64 patients, maintenance immunosuppression was with prednisone, mycophenolate mofetil, and tacrolimus. At the time of KTX, 29 patients were ANCA-positive. The vasculitis relapse rate was 0.02 per patient-years and was not influenced by disease category, ANCA subtype, or remission duration before KTX. There were 23 rejection episodes in 13 patients with seven graft losses. Median serum creatinine at 1 year was 1.3 mg/dL in 75 patients with more than 1 year follow-up and 1.4 mg/dL at last follow-up. The graft and patient survival rates were 100% at 1 year, 97.9% and 93.4% at 5 years, and 79.0% and 67.4% at 10 years, respectively., Conclusions: KTX is a safe and an effective option for treating ESRD secondary to AAV. Relapses are rare with current immunosuppression.

Polyomavirus virus nephropathy (PVN) is an important cause of renal allograft dysfunction. The risk factors for the development of PVN have not been completely elucidated. We investigated the hypothesis that ureteral trauma caused by placement of indwelling stents is an independent risk factor for PVN. Twenty cases of PVN were compared with 46 controls. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios and to construct multivariate models. A total of 75% of cases and 35% of controls had stents placed during renal transplantation. In both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusting for age, gender, deceased donor transplant, delayed graft function, tacrolimus and exposure to antibodies, the placement of a ureteral stent at the time of kidney transplantation was found to have a statistically significant association with developing PVN. Our findings reveal that the presence of a ureteral stent is associated with an increase in the risk of PVN.

The BK polyomavirus (BKV) infects most of the human population, but clinically relevant infections are mostly limited to individuals who are immunosuppressed. In transplant recipients, BKV has been associated with ureteral stenosis, interstitial nephritis, and hemorrhagic cystitis. The role of BKV in the development of human tumors is intriguing but uncertain. BKV has been identified in various tumor types including urothelial carcinoma, but the ubiquitous presence of BKV as a latent infection has confounded efforts to validate any causal role in cancer development. We report the case of a simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant recipient who developed BKV interstitial nephritis and carcinoma of the bladder with widespread metastases. High level expression of BKV large T antigen in the primary and metastatic carcinoma, but not in the nonneoplastic urothelium, implicates BKV as an etiologic agent in the development of this tumor.