Korean J Transplant.  2022 Jun;36(2):99-103. 10.4285/kjt.22.0011.

Laboratory support of ABO antibody monitoring for ABO-incompatible solid organ transplantation

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, Korea
  • 2Department of Laboratory Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

The accurate measurement of ABO antibodies is essential for successful ABO-incom-patible solid organ transplantation. Titration using two-fold dilution is considered a standard method and is applied in most laboratories. However, this titration method has inherent limitations, including differences in methods between laboratories, a lack of standardization, its semiquantitative nature, and the difficulty of considering the results to be representative of the in vivo activity of ABO antibodies. Various measurement methods other than titration have been developed, and new methods continue to be in- troduced. Physicians and laboratory specialists who are involved in ABO-incompatible solid organ transplantation need to fully understand these methods for optimal patient management.

Keyword

ABO incompatible; Transplantation; Antibody; Titer; Monitor

Figure

  • Fig. 1 A schematic description of isoagglutinin titer measurement using the conventional tube method. The isoagglutinin titer is determined as the endpoint that shows agglutination with two-fold dilution. Each laboratory sets its own cutoff (trace or 1+) according to the titration protocol.

  • Fig. 2 A schematic description of the measurement of in vivo activity of ABO antibodies using complement-dependent cytotoxicity. Hemolysis is measured through free hemoglobin measurement of supernatants using an ultraviolet spectrophotometer.


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