1. The one-year graft survival rate of cadaver donor transplants has increased from about 40% in 1965 to almost 80% in 1988. Much of the improvement lies in the reduction of the one-month failure rates, which went down from one quarter in 1965 to 10% in 1988. 2. Kidneys that failed to function in the first month occurred in 5% of first graft patients without cytotoxins and increased to 9% if cytotoxins to more than 50% of the random panel were present. The non-function rate was 9% in regrafted patients without antibodies and double (18%) in those with a PRA of less than 50%. 3. Some indication that the harmful antibodies can be detected by flow cytometry is provided by the fact that low graft survival rates resulted when transplants were done across a positive flow cytometry crossmatch in sensitized patients and in second graft recipients. In non-sensitized patients and in first graft patients, flow cytometry crossmatches against T cells were of no value. 4. The difference between first grafts, second grafts and transplants into sensitized patients disappeared when the grafts that did not function at one month were removed. 5. Cold ischemia time up to 36 hours had no effect on 1-3-year survival rates. Cold ischemia had relatively little effect even on delayed function in first transplants. However, in regrafts and in grafts into patients with preformed cytotoxins, increasing cold ischemia resulted in an increased incidence of delayed function.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)