[Organization of organ transplantation in France]

France was in tenth position in the field of kidney transplant in Europe in 1982, and is currently at the top of western countries for all transplant activities (per million inhabitants). Cyclosporin A was certainly a favourable factor for liver, heart and lung transplantations. Nevertheless the transplantation activity in France is twice than of Great Britain or Germany for those transplant specialties and the percentage of renal transplantations from living related donors is very low in France: 2.7% versus 30% in others. These data depend on a specific French organization which involves: a presume consent law; an emergency policy with mobile medical rescue teams and polyvalent intensive care units; a three level France Transplant organization: national, regional and local; hospital physicians as regional transplant coordinators who are independent from transplant teams; waiting list telematic computer system which promotes priorities: high emergencies, high-sensitized and pediatric recipients.