Survival of canine kidneys after treatment with dimethyl-sulfoxide, freezing at --80 degrees C, and thawing by microwave illumination.

Forty canine kidneys were the subject of this pilot study where control groups perfused with Perfudex plus DMSO (1.4 m), modified Collins' solution with DMSO (1.4 m) and modified Sacks' solution with DMSO (1.4 m) showed little toxicity and life-sustaining conservation. In the experimental group, 16 kidneys were frozen for 15 min to ?80 °C, thawed by microwave illumination, and reimplanted. Of the 16 dogs, eight survived 2–14 months on their single kidney. The technique of inducing freezing by using intra-arterial cold helium and thawing with high-power microwave illumination gave an overall success rate of 50% long-term life-sustaining survival.