Current status of renal transplantation--1986

During the course of 3 decades, and particularly during the past 5 years, clinical renal transplantation has improved to become a safe mode of therapy for end-stage renal disease. Currently, more than 95% 1-year survival can be expected, both in patients who receive allografts from living-related donors and in those who receive cadaver kidneys. One-year living-related donor graft survival is 98%, and 1-year cadaver graft survival is 87%. Cyclosporine has been an important adjunctive immunosuppressive agent not only because of improved results but also because it has shortened hospitalization time.