Approach to Highly Sensitized Kidney Transplant Candidates and a Positive Crossmatch.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-incompatible kidney transplantation offers survival benefit compared with ongoing dialysis. There have been considerable advances in the last decade to allow for increased access to transplant for the HLA-sensitized kidney transplant candidates. These include increased priority in the kidney allocation system, kidney paired donation, and novel desensitization strategies. A better understanding of the role of B cells, plasma cells, and complement and inflammatory cytokines in the pathophysiology of HLA antibody-mediated allograft injury has led to the use of novel therapeutics for desensitization and treatment of antibody-mediated rejection. Here we discuss current approaches to kidney transplantation in HLA-sensitized kidney transplant candidates.