Pediatric Renal Transplantation: A 10-Year Single-Center Experience

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nephrology
• Transplantation Surgery
• Pediatric Urology

Background:

• Pediatric renal transplantation is a critical intervention for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in children.
• It provides superior long-term quality of life and survival rates compared to dialysis.
• This study focuses on outcomes from a specialized pediatric kidney transplant center.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the 10-year experience of a tertiary center in pediatric kidney transplantation.
• To analyze the outcomes and complications of kidney transplants in children.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 35 pediatric kidney transplant recipients from 2015-2024.
• Data analysis included patient demographics, underlying conditions, pre-transplant dialysis, donor type, and cold ischemia time.

Main Results:

• The median age at transplant was 12 years; congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) were the most common condition (43.5%).
• 71.4% of patients received dialysis pre-transplant, with a mean duration of 14.3 months.
• Immediate graft function was achieved in 77.1%, with a 14.3% graft failure rate; early complications included hypertension and diabetes, late complications involved infections and disease recurrence.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric kidney transplantation is a complex but effective treatment for ESRD.
• Specialized centers can achieve satisfactory long-term graft function with manageable complications.