In 1986, the Committee of Experts on Blood Transfusion and Immunohae- tology of the Council of Europe chose for their Programme of Co-ordinated Research "An investigation of the procurement and sharing of transplantable organs for potential recipients who are highly sensitized to HLA-antigens". This topic was of common concern to all centres practising renal transplan- tion. The terms of reference of the study were: To estimate the number of patients who are virtually "untransplantable" because of high sensitization in each European country. To study the nature of immunization in terms of the type and specificity of antibodies present in the blood and techniques used for their detection. To investigate possible practical solutions - both current and future, invo- ing cross-matching procedures, the circulation of reference material from patients, and the willingness of the national organizations to share resources. 4. To explore other methods of resolving this problem. Although the study did not offer the prospect of a brilliant new insight into the problem of high sensitization, it was unique in several ways: for the first time we saw all European organizations collaborating in a common project to provide information on their activities, their problems and the methods to resolve them; it introduced, for this subject, relatively novel statistical methods to investigate susceptibility to sensitization and factors affecting transplant outcome; it enabled a large database of transplanted highly sensitized patients and matched controls to be assembled, that would have been unavailable as a research resource at any single centre.

Though kidney transplantation is considered a routine procedure, there are still significant challenges in post-transplant management. Core Concepts in Renal Transplantation is a clinically focused authoritative guide to the management of kidney transplantation. This comprehensive, state-of-the-art reference summarizes the recent changes in the field of transplantation, offering the complete range of up-to-date information on all the various aspects of basic immunobiology and the medical care of the transplant recipient. Written by a team of renowned authorities in renal transplantation, this concise resource is intended for both the nephrologist and the non-specialist with an interest in kidney transplantation.

At the brink of the third millennium organ transplanta mati on how, in the case of shortage, a fair allocation of tion will become routine and the results will be so ex the scarce organs can be achieved. This is a very cellent that every patient in need of a transplant timely subject that continues to be discussed between deserves to be transplanted. How to provide every doctors and between laymen. patient with his or her organ and how to guarantee This book serves the needs of several groups of that the organ is in a superb condition? That is the specialists working with transplant patients. Firstly, the challenge for all of us privileged to work in this doctors who are directly involved in the care of the magnificent field of medicine. multi-organ donor, and who have to collaborate to do In this book, an international team of experts has the best for their recipients. Heart surgeons might like laid down their intellectual knowledge on the process to learn from liver surgeons and vice versa. Secondly, that precedes successful transplantation: Procurement, the paramedical specialist who is involved in the treat Preservation and Allocation. In four sections important ment of transplant patients and their families will find aspects of this preamble of the actual transplantation in this book many answers to questions. Students can are dealt with. also use it as a source for general information.

The here presented book covers different areas of clinical and scientific interest, reaching from donor evaluation to newest methods in immunological diagnostics. But also aspects of daily care of transplant recipients can be found in the carefully selected chapters. Everything driven by the aim to improve the care for all of our transplanted patients.

This volume documents our growing understanding of the human major histocompatibility complex. The application of this information is ever more important as the limits of transplantation continue to be reduced, including the recent success of bone marrow transplantation between unrelated but closely matched individuals. In addition, the need to transfuse platelets in the face of immunologic barriers continues to challenge transfusion services. Thus, the serologic information summarized in this volume is essential for optimal patient care. At the same time, recombinant DNA technology has led to a revolution in our understanding of many aspects of basic biology. Among the advances has been the initial characterization of the structure of some HLA loci. While this will ultimately improve clinical services, constant reference to serologic data is essential so that the powerful new techniques can be applied in the most effective ways. The timing of the First Red Cross International Histocompatibility Workshop is fortunate as it brings together experts from around the world to address the state of the art. We are all grateful to Dr. John Lee and his colleagues for organizing the workshop, and for bringing together in this volume the material to be presented in Beijing during October 17-23, 1990. Leon W. Hoyer, M.D.

Renal Failure, Diagnosis & Treatment is a practical book that provides a comprehensive description of the evaluation of renal insufficiency. It teaches the physician how to recognise the tell-tale signs of the diseases that cause kidney failure and how to confirm their presence in an efficient manner. Major teaching points are reinforced by the presentation of 20 problem cases for the reader's diagnosis. The book also details the general management of the patient with renal failure and the treatment of various causative diseases.