Renal transplantation in children

Transplantation with a renal allograft is the treatment of choice for the child with end-stage renal failure. Over the past 20 years rapid advances have made it possible to transplant a kidney of adult proportions into a child aged 1 year or less. Actuarial graft survival at 5 years for first cadaveric kidneys is more than 60% in children aged less than 5 years. Long-term studies have demonstrated an improvement in linear growth and preservation of glomerular filtration rate.