Head circumference and development in young children after renal transplantation

Growth impairment, microcephaly and developmental delay in young children with chronic renal failure improve after successful renal transplantation. There have been few reports on head circumference (HC) and development after transplantation.

Standard deviation scores (SDS) of height and HC and developmental quotient (DQ) after successful renal transplantation were evaluated in 12 recipients under 5 years of age. At the time of transplantation their mean age was 2.5 years and mean bodyweight was 9.0 kg.

Mean height SDS was -3.0 at transplantation and increased to -2.3 at 1 year after transplant (P = 0.002). Mean HC-SDS increased from -1.4 to -0.9 at 1 year after transplant (P = 0.02). As for each category of DQ examined 1 year after transplant, mean scores of gross motor function, basic practice, personal relations, speech and recognition increased from 69 to 90 (P = 0.007), from 77 to 102 (P = 0.02), from 87 to 103 (P = 0.04), from 71 to 90 (P = 0.0006), and from 88 to 101 (P = 0.03), respectively.

In young children, physical growth, HC growth and DQ scores increased 1 year after transplantation. Dialysis and transplantation program should be planned in young children with end-stage renal failure in anticipation of growth and development of each patient.