Background and Purpose: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in combination with cyclosporine or tacrolimus prevents acute rejection and chronic allograft failure in renal transplantation in Western countries. We began to add low - dose MMF to primary cyclosporine immunosuppressive therapy in renal transplantation at the Department of Surgery of National Taiwan University Hospital in 1998. This study compared low-dose MMF to conventional therapy in Taiwanese renal transplant recipients. Methods: This retrospective cohort study determined the efficacy of low-dose MMF therapy (I g/day in divided doses). A total of 275 cases with allograft kidney transplants were grouped according to whether they received transplants before or after the adoption of MMF therapy (Period 1: 1987-1993; Period 11: 1994-1997; Period III: 1998-September 2000). The prognostic significance of MMF therapy and graft and patient survival rate in each time period were assessed. Results: The 18- month graft survival rate was 84.9% in Period 1, 86.3% in Period 11, and 91.9% in Period III. The 5-year graft survival rates in Periods I and 11 were 69.3% and 76.6%, respectively. Acute rejection was significantly detrimental to graft survival (p = 0.048), while MMF therapy was significantly advantageous to graft survival (p = 0.015); treatment when MMF was available was also significantly associated with better graft survival (p = 0.043). There was a negative correlation between acute rejection and graft survival (p = 0. 035); MMF therapy produced a protective effect on graft survival independent of acute rejection (p = 0.010). Conclusion: Low-dose MMF therapy significantly improved graft survival after renal transplantation in Taiwanese kidney allograft recipients. ; 醫學系外科 ; 醫學系 ; 醫學院 ; 期刊論文