[Autotransplantation of the kidney 100 years after Imre Ullmann's pioneering operation].

The authors give an overview on renal autotransplantation on occasion of Emerich (Imre) Ullmann's pioneer operation 100 years ago. Ullmann was born in 1861 in Pécs, Hungary. After finishing the Vienna Medical School, he worked on the I. Surgical Clinic of the University of Vienna. In 1902, already as the chief of surgery of a Vienna hospital he successfully performed canine kidney autotransplantation, later also technically successful allo- and xenotransplantation. Human renal autotransplantations have been performed since the early 1960's mainly because of renovascular hypertension/aneurysm or ureter injuries or tumor. Rare indications are the loin pain-hematuria syndrome, echinococcosis of the kidney, the nutcracker syndrome, ureteroarterial fistula and there are reports about allograft autotransplantations also. Lately, laparoscopy gained place and nephrectomies are done more often minimally invasive. In Hungary twenty-four cases of kidney autotransplantation were performed.