Long-term success with double pediatric cadaver donor renal transplants

Many institutions are reluctant to use pediatric cadaver kidneys for transplantation because of a fear of an increased risk of technical complications or because these grafts leave the recipient with a relatively small amount of functioning renal tissue. From 1971 to 1981 the authors performed 21 double pediatric cadaver donor renal transplants. Eleven of these grafts are currently functioning for periods up to 11 years post-transplant. Only one graft was lost due to a technical complication. Using actuarial analysis, the graft survival and patient survival in this group of patients was compared with a control group of 39 computer matched and randomly selected recipients of adult cadaver kidneys and to all nonmatched recipients of cadaver kidneys during the same time period. There were no statistically significant differences among the three groups in graft survival or in patient survival. It is concluded that the long-term results with double pediatric cadaver kidney transplants are the same as those using single adult cadaver kidneys. Pediatric kidneys should be used whenever they are available so that transplantation can be extended to more patients.