What tests are required for kidney transplant matching?
Disease description:
My family member has kidney disease and needs a kidney transplant. As a potential donor, what tests should I undergo?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Yang Guang
Kidney transplantation is one of the effective treatments for end-stage renal disease, and successful kidney transplantation requires precise tissue typing. The main tests involved include the following:
1. Blood type testing: Ensures compatibility between donor and recipient blood types or adherence to blood transfusion principles, to reduce rejection reactions caused by blood type mismatches.
2. Tissue typing: Includes human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing, which assesses the genetic-level compatibility between donor and recipient, lowering the risk of post-transplant rejection.
3. Lymphocyte toxicity test: Evaluates the recipient's serum reaction to donor lymphocytes to predict the likelihood of rejection after transplantation.
4. Crossmatch test: The crossmatch test includes preformed antibody screening and lymphocytotoxic crossmatching. Preformed antibody screening detects whether the recipient has existing antibodies against the donor's HLA antigens, while lymphocytotoxic crossmatching further verifies whether antibodies in the recipient's serum can react with donor lymphocytes. These tests help assess the risk of acute rejection after transplantation.
