This Article Order Full text via Infotrieve Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Huffer, W. E. Articles by Starzl, T. E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Huffer, W. E. Articles by Starzl, T. E.

American Journal of Pathology, Vol 78, 385-400, Copyright © 1975 by American Society for Investigative Pathology

REGULAR ARTICLES

Metabolic bone disease in chronic renal failure. II. Renal transplant patients

WE Huffer, D Kuzela, MM Popovtzer and TE Starzl

Trabecular vertebral bone of renal transplant patients was quantitatively compared with bone from normal individuals and dialyzed and nondialyzed patienets with chronic renal failure reported in detail in an earlier study. Long- and short-term transplant patients have increased bone resorption and mineralization defects similar to renal osteodystrophy in dialyzed and nondialyzed patients. However, in transplant patients the magnitude of resorption is greater, and bone volume tends to decrease rather than increase. Resorptive activity in transplant patients is maximal during the first year after transplantation. Bone volume decreases continuously for at least 96 months after transplantation. Only decreased bone volume correlated with success or failure of the renal transplant. Morphologic findings in this study correlate with other clinical and morphologic data to suggest that reduction in bone volume in transplant patients results from a combination of persistent hyperparathyroidism and suppression of bone formation by steroid therapy.