Mondher Ounissi

Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Gouvernorat de Tunis, Tunisia

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Publications (12)1.4 Total impact

  • Article: Urinary tract infections following renal transplantation: A single-center experience.
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    ABSTRACT: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most frequent infectious complication among renal transplant recipients and a frequent cause of bacteremia, sepsis and acute graft failure. To evaluate the incidence, risk factors, type of pathogens and long-term effect of UTIs on graft and patient survivals in our center, we performed a retrospective cohort study reviewing the medical records of patients who received a renal transplant at our center from June 1986 to December 2009, excluding patients who lost their grafts in the first month due to arterial or veins thrombosis and acute antibody-mediated rejection. We studied 393 kidney-transplanted recipients; at least one UTI occurred in 221 (53.69%) patients during the follow-up period. The most frequent pathogens isolated in urine culture were Escherichia coli (n = 39, 18.4%) and Klebsiella pneumonia (n = 31, 14.6%). When patients with UTIs were compared with those without UTIs, female gender and use of mycophenolate mofetil or azathioprine seemed to be risk factors for UTIs on univariate analysis. However, female gender was the only independent risk factor on multivariate analysis RR = 1.964 (1.202-3.207), P = 0.007. This study confirmed that UTIs remain a major problem in renal transplant recipients, and female gender was the only independent risk factor.
    Saudi journal of kidney diseases and transplantation: an official publication of the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation, Saudi Arabia 11/2012; 23(6):1311-4.
  • Article: [Acute tubular necrosis in kidney transplantation].
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    ABSTRACT: The acute tubular necrosis (ATN) is common after kidney transplantation. Acute tubular necrosis (ATN) is multifactorial and represents one of the main causes of the delayed graft function. Its impact on graft and patients survival is documented. To study the prevalence of the ATN in kidney transplanted patients, the acute rejection rate and their impact on the graft and the patient survival. We retrospectively studied the frequency of ATN, its causes and its impact on patient and graft survival in 255 kidney transplanted patients between 1986-2006. Thirty-nine patients had ATN (15.29%). They are 25 men and 14 women with mean age of 30.1 ± 12.6 years (8-61) followed for an average of 98 ± 61.76 months. The majority was treated by hemodialysis (79.48%) and half of them were transplanted from kidney of deceased donor. All patients received anti lymphocyte serum and the majority anticalcineurins (69.23%). The outcome was favorable in 26 patients (66.66%) with recovery of diuresis and normalization of renal function after 6 weeks on average. An acute rejection was diagnosed in 21 patients (53.48%). The mean creatinine at 1, 5 and 10 years was 135.3, 159.9 and 121.4 μmol / l. Eight patients had creatinine ² 130 μmol / l at 10 years. Ten patients died from infectious and cardiovascular causes. By comparing the 2 groups ATN + and ATN - we found a statistically significant correlation between ATN and cold ischemia (10 ± 10.9 vs 1.2 ± 4.7 hours, p <0.0001) and the interval between the start of dialysis and transplantation (42.18 ± 38.44 vs. 31.1 ± 25.2 months, p= 0.02). No statistical correlation was found between the ATN and gender, age of recipient and donor, warm ischemia, acute rejection, chronic rejection and graft and patient survival at 1, 5 and 10 years. The ATN is more common among transplanted patients from deceased donors. It had good evolution in the majority of cases and it's correlated to cold ischemia and duration of dialysis. Finally, it has no impact on patients and graft survival.
    La Tunisie médicale 06/2012; 90(6):463-7.
  • Article: [Etiologic profile of amyloidosis of the elderly in Tunisia].
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    ABSTRACT: The amyloidosis is one of the histologic lesions the most frequently associated to the aging. To identify the several etiologies of amyloidosis in elderly patients according to immunohistochemical type. Retrospective study on 10 years, in Internal medicine and Nephrology department in Charles Nicolle Hospital. Tunis. Tunisia. Diagnosis of amyloidosis was retained after histological confirmation with specific colorations, in patients aged 65 years or more at the diagnose of amyloidosis. The study enrolled 51 patients with amyloidosis. In 67% of cases it was AA amyloidosis. The etiology the most frequently observed with this type was the tuberculosis, followed by chronic pulmonary infections. We retained diagnose of non AA amyloidosis in 21% of patients. The multiple myeloma has been the most frequent etiology observed, but no cause was identified at about half of patients. Twelve per cent of amyloidosis were not typed. From our study, we can remark the high predominance of AA amyloidosis, probably because of frequency of tuberculosis which is still high in our country, this is not in accordance with occidental data, were AL amyloidosis and senile amyloidosis predominate in elderly.
    La Tunisie médicale 01/2012; 90(1):13-8.
  • Article: [Association of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease and visceral leishmaniasis after kidney transplantation].
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    ABSTRACT: Malignancies and opportunistic infections are frequently observed after solid-organ transplantation. Their occurrence strongly affects recipient survival. We report the case of a 29-year-old Tunisian kidney-recipient who was diagnosed simultaneously with post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Withdrawal of immunosuppressive therapy together with antiparasitic treatment using liposomal amphotericin B, and anti-CD20 antibodies medication resulted in cure of leishmaniasis and remission from PTLD. This case is of clinical interest because of the uncommon association of VL with PTLD after solid organ transplantation. It is also original by the favourable outcome of VL and PTLD, both known as life-threatening diseases. Also, it illustrates the predisposing role of immunosuppressive therapy in occurrence of opportunistic infections and malignancies after solid organ transplantation.
    Néphrologie & Thérapeutique 03/2011; 7(6):488-93. · 0.47 Impact Factor
  • Article: [Early infections in children following renal transplantation].
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    ABSTRACT: Infections following renal transplantation in children are a major cause of severe morbidity and mortality. Surgery is complex and performed in a subject whose immunological mechanisms are impaired by end stage renal failure and immunosuppressive drugs. To evaluate the incidence and the risk factors of early infectious following renal transplantation in children. Methods: Infectious complications were retrospectively monitored in 37 children receiving renal transplantation at our center from 1992 to 2008. Infectious complications identified were dominated by urinary tract infections occurred in 12 patients. The clinical symptomatology is dominated by fever and decrease in health. In 4 patients the urinary infection was asymptomatic. Three patients had pneumonia; the diagnosis was suspected clinically and confirmed by the chest radiography. Three other patients developed sepsis. In one of them, the etiology was a peritonitis related to dialysis catheter. Two transplant showed a herpetic cheilitis and one patient developed a parvovirus infection that evolved well after two transfusions. In all cases, the outcome was favourable with no deaths or impact on graft function. After renal transplantation, the disturbance of inflammatory reactions explains the often latent or delayed infectious process making early diagnosis difficult. It is imperative to monitor infectious to minimize morbidity and mortality.
    La Tunisie médicale 01/2011; 89(1):26-30.
  • Article: The role of generics in kidney transplant: mycophenolate mofetil 500 versus mycophenolate: 2-year results.
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    ABSTRACT: The introduction of mycophenolate mofetil has proven itself effective in preventing acute rejection in renal transplant recipients. However, this cost is ineffective with countries with a limited income. This study sought to compare the clinical and therapeutic profiles of a generic formulation with mycophenolate mofetil. This 2-year, single-center, prospective, randomized, open-label study investigated the efficacy and safety of a new mycophenolate mofetil generic formulation compared with mycophenolate renal transplant recipients. The study divided patients in 2 groups: 8 patients in G1 received mycophenolate mofetil 500 and 10 patients in G2 received mycophenolate. Their demographics were similar: mean age, 36.6±7.1 and 33.3±11.7 years; sex M/F: 2/6 and 5/5; mean donor age, 42.6±11.1 and 43.6±13.9 years; mean HLA mismatches, 2.7±1.2 and 3.3±1.5; deceased donors, 25% and 20%; and warm ischemia time, 40.2±11.9 and 38.7±10.5 minutes. All patients received 2 g daily of mycophenolate mofetil 500 or mycophenolate with initial dosage of 0.1 mg/kg/d and prednisolone. One patient of 7 in the mycophenolate mofetil group and 4 of 6 in the mycophenolate group had 1 episode of acute tubular necrosis, and 1 patient in each group had an acute rejection with no significant differences between the groups. The area under the curve of the mycophenolate mofetil did not show any difference between the 2 groups. The values of serum creatinine were also comparable. Patient survival rate at 6, 12, and 24 months was 100% in the groups. The frequencies of digestive and hematologic adverse effects were comparable in the groups with no significant differences. Use of mycophenolate mofetil 500 provided safe and effective immunosuppressive therapy compared with mycophenolate. However, as the duration of the study was short, these results need to be confirmed in a long-term study.
    Experimental and clinical transplantation : official journal of the Middle East Society for Organ Transplantation. 12/2010; 8(4):292-6.
  • Article: [A rare case of Graves' disease in a patient on regular haemodialysis].
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    ABSTRACT: Abnormal thyroid hormone production and metabolism are relatively common in chronic renal failure and in regular haemodialysis. Graves' disease is a very unusual condition and is difficult to identify. We report a case of Graves' disease in a patient on regular hemodialysis. A 26-year-old man undergoing regular hemodialysis from unknown chronic nephropathy since four years. The patient suffered from unexplained slimming and aggressiveness. On admission, he had an irritability, tremor of the extremities, arterial hypertension not controlled by the medical treatment, discrete asynergy oculo-palpebral, glare of the glance and protrusion of the ocular spheres. The thyroid was non palpable. Biological tests demonstrated hyperthyroidism. Thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibodies were positive. Thyroid echography and scintiscanning showed vascular and hyperfonctionnel character of the thyroid. The patient was treated radically by radioactive iodine 131 therapy after medical preparation by antithyroid agent. He developed hypothyroidism treated by substitutive treatment. The diagnosis of Graves' disease must be evoked even in the absence of specific symptoms in haemodialysis patients. In front of clinical symptoms, since the conventional treatment is effective and inoffensive.
    Néphrologie & Thérapeutique 07/2010; 6(4):251-4. · 0.47 Impact Factor
  • Article: [Renal involvement in Behcet's disease].
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    ABSTRACT: Renal involvement in the Behcet's disease is rare. The clinical features vary from urinary sediment's abnormalities to ESRD. We propose to study the clinical, biological and histological data, the therapeutic management and the prognosis of patients. We report a retrospective study including 8 patients representing 1.23 % of cases. The average age of the patient was of 37 +/- 12. 35 years with a clear male prevalence. Urinary signs were discovered fortuitously by the strips in the majority of the cases after an average of 18 months. It's about proteinuria and hematuria. Renal insufficiency and hypertension were rare. Pathological study highlighted 3 cases of amyloidosis, 2 cases of IgA nephropathy, 1 case of minimal change disease, 1 case of endo and extracapillary glomerulonephritis and 1 case of interstitial nephropathy. Patients having GN were treated by corticoids and immunosuppressive agents and those having an interstitial nephropathy were treated symptomatically with good evolution in the majority of the cases. Only one patient is dead, he had amyloidosis. Prognosis depended on the precocity of the diagnosis, the histological type and the treatment. The renal involvement during Behçet's disease is rare. Amyloidosis and Ig A nephropathy are the most frequent. Treatment is still controversial.
    La Tunisie médicale 06/2010; 88(6):404-8.
  • Article: [Colic angiodysplasia and chronic haemodialysis. Argon plasma treatment. A case report].
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    ABSTRACT: Gastrointestinal angiodysplasia is a very common cause of digestive haemorrhage among patients with chronic renal insufficiency. It is well known that bleeding from angiodysplasias can be a difficult therapeutic problem since therapeutic possibilities are scarce and surgery is scolded with high mortality rate. Endoscopic argon plasma ablation therapy is a new, effective and safe treatment in the management of gastrointestinal angiodysplasia. We reported a case of a female haemodialysis patient aged 40 years. She was haemodialysed since 6 years in our center from unknown nephropathy. In March 2006, she complained of black stools and melena, and developed severe anaemia (Haemoglobin at 4 g/dL). Exploratory endoscope examination of the digestive tract showed the presence of bleeding from angiodysplastic lesions of the right colon. The patient had severe clinical picture extension of angiodysplastic lesions and frequent bleeding episodes. Bleeding arrest was observed after argon plasma coagulation, with a significant decrease of blood transfusions and improvement of anaemia. Gastrointestinal angiodysplasia was reported to be an important complication in dialysis patients and was recognized as an important cause of erythropoietin-resistant anaemia. It can worsen vital prognosis. Argon plasma coagulation is an effective treatment in these patients.
    Néphrologie & Thérapeutique 04/2010; 6(4):248-50. · 0.47 Impact Factor
  • Article: [Treatment of uremic patients by automated peritoneal dialysis: study of 78 cases].
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    ABSTRACT: Automated peritoneal dialysis has been increasingly used in recent years. The quality of life is improved in patients on automated peritoneal dialysis with more time for work, family and social activities compared to patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. We report our experience concerning patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. From July 1997 to June 2003, we review retrospectively 78 patients with chronic renal failure treated by automated peritoneal dialysis. Tenckhoff catheter was used for all patients with 1 cuff in 39 cases (35.5%) and 2 cuffs in 71 cases (64.5%). There were 46 males and 32 females. Their mean age was 38.6 +/- 14.5 years. Their main nephropathies were glomerular in 23 patients (29.%), diabetic in 20 patients (25.6%) and vascular in 19 patients (24.4%). Among the 78 patients, 61 (78.2%) were autonomous while 17 (21.8%) were assisted by a member of their family. The mean period of therapy was 25.5 months (3 to 61 months). Peritonitis was the main complication, it was observed in 45 cases after a mean delay of 17 months (1 to 38 months). The mean rate of peritonitis was 36.5 months/patient. Their etiology was identified in 21 (46.7%) cases (8 septic manipulations of catheter and 13 tunnel infections). The principal organism isolated in peritoneal fluid were 18 gram-positive cocci (13 staphylococcus aureus, 4 coagulase-negative staphylococci, 1 streptococcus) and 10 gram-negative bacilli. The outcome of peritonitis was favourable in 39 cases (86.7%). The actuarial technique survival at 1, 3 and 5 years was respectively 94.6%, 80.1% et 49.3%. The actuarial patient survival at 1, 3 and 5 years was respectively 93.3%, 76.8% et 52.2%. At the end of the study, 43 patients (56.4%) left the automated peritoneal dialysis program: 22 (28.2%) were shifted to hemodialysis, 15 (19.3%) died, 6 (7.7%) were transplanted and 1 patient (1.3%) was shifted to continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Our experience concerning automated peritoneal dialysis is recent with a small number of patients. Our results were acceptable and we have to encourage and extend automated peritoneal dialysis to the most new patients with end-stage renal failure.
    La Tunisie médicale 04/2007; 85(3):225-9.
  • Article: Risk factors and consequences of delayed graft function.
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    ABSTRACT: The impact of delayed graft function (DGF) on the outcome of renal transplantation remains controversial. We analyzed the risk factors for DGF and its impact on graft and patient survival. A total of 354 renal transplants performed between June 1986 and April 2000 were analyzed. Variables analyzed included donor and recipient age, method and duration of renal replacement therapy, HLA mismatch, cold and warm ischemia times, biopsy-confirmed acute rejection, length of stay in the hospital, serum creatinine at the end of first hospitalization as well as graft and patient survival at one, three, five and ten years. The study patients were divided into two groups: patients with DGF (G1) and those without DGF (G2). DGF occurred in 50 patients (14.1%), and it was seen more frequently in patients transplanted from deceased donors (60% vs. 40%, P <0.0001). The cause of DGF was acute tubular necrosis, seen in 98% of the cases. Univariate analysis showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups G1 and G2 in the following parameters: average duration on dialysis (52.3 vs. 36.4 months, P = 0.006), HLA mismatch (44.9% vs. 32.11% P = 0.015), donor age (35.9 vs. 40.2 years, P = 0.026), cold ischemia time (23 vs. 18.2 h, P = 0.0016), warm ischemia time (41.9 vs. 38.6 mn, P = 0.046), length of stay in the hospital during first hospitalization (54.7 vs. 33.2 days, P <0.0001), serum creatinine at the end of first hospitalization (140 vs. 112 μmol/L, P <0.0001) and at three months following transplantation (159 vs. 119 μmol/L, P = 0.0002). Multivariate analysis revealed the following independent risk factors for DGF: deceased donor (RR = 13.2, P <0.0001) and cold ischemia time (RR = 1.17, P = 0.008). The graft survival at one, three, five and ten years was 100%, 93%, 88.3% and 78.3% in G1 versus 100%, 95.9% 92.8% and 82.3% in G2; there was no statistically significant difference. The patient survival at one, three, five and ten years was 100%, 91.3%, 83.6% and 74.4% in G1 versus 100%, 95.9%, 94% and 82.6% in G2 with a statistically significant difference (P = 0.04). Prolonged cold ischemia time and transplantation of kidneys from deceased donors were the main risk factors for DGF in our study. Also, DGF significantly affected patient survival but had no influence on graft survival.
    Saudi journal of kidney diseases and transplantation: an official publication of the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation, Saudi Arabia 24(2):243-6.
  • Article: Acute renal failure by ingestion of Euphorbia paralias.
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    ABSTRACT: Euphorbia paralias is known in traditional medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent, a purgative and for its local anesthetic property. To the best our knowledge, renal toxicity of this substance has not been previously reported. In this paper, we report the case of a 29-year-old male who developed renal damage following ingestion of Euphorbia paralias. He had been on follow-up for nephrotic syndrome since 1986, although irregularly, with several relapses but each responding well to steroid therapy. A kidney biopsy had not been performed earlier due to refusal by the patient. He was off steroids since April 2008 because the patient developed osteoporosis. He was admitted with general malaise and oliguria to our department in May 2009, following repeated vomiting and watery diarrhea for three days. On examination, he was edematous but had normal vital signs except for a pulse rate of 120/min. Hemoglobin was only 5.5 g/dL but with normal white cell and platelet counts. Blood biochemistry showed evidence of advanced renal failure with a serum creatinine level of 1835 μmol/L and urea at 44.6 mmol/L, sodium of 132 μmol/L and potassium at 4.3 mmol/L. He had features of nephrotic syndrome with severe hypoproteinamia and 24-h urinary protein of 10.45 g. Ultrasonography revealed enlarged kidneys with a reduced echogenecity of the medulla and the papillae. Subsequently, after hemodialysis with blood transfusion, a kidney biopsy was performed that showed focal segmental glomerulosclerosis associated with an acute tubular injury. On intensive interrogation, the patient gave a history of ingesting boiled Euphorbia paralias as a native treatment for edema, ten days prior to the onset of the current illness. A diagnosis of acute renal failure (ARF) resulting from the possible nephrotoxic effect of Euphorbia paralias poisoning was made. He was treated with intermittent hemodialysis and corticosteroids. Serum creatinine values improved after 48 days. At six months following the intoxication, serum creatinine of the patient was 240 μmol/L. In cases of unexplained ARF, a toxic mechanism should always be considered and acute renal failure caused by Euphorbia paralias should be included as a cause if renal toxicity is suspected in those places where it is being used as a native medicine.
    Saudi journal of kidney diseases and transplantation: an official publication of the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation, Saudi Arabia 24(3):571-5.