Efficacy of low doses of pamidronate in osteopenic patients administered in the early post-renal transplant

39 patients with ostepenia and who underwent a kidney transplant were enrolled in this study to determine if the administration of intravenous pamidronate postoperatively improved bone mineral density (BMD). BMD, skeletal fractures and bone remodeling were analyzed one year after the transplant to evaluate the effects of intravenous bisphophonates. Patients who received the pamidronate demonstrated maintained lumbar spine bone mineral density compared to a decrease in those who received placebo, the differences being significant between groups over 12 months postoperatively. At 12 months, the pamidronate group demonstrated a 1% increase in lumbar spine BMD, compared to a -6% decrease in the placebo group. No significant differences between groups were noted in femoral neck or total hip BMD, however.