[Substitutes for renal function. Technical trends and logistics of treatment]

In France about 50 new patients per million of inhabitants per year with end stage renal disease (ESRD) require treatment with dialysis and/or transplantation. For the last few years new dialysis methods as hemofiltration and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis have been extended. It is too early to predict what will be the role and the future of such methods as compared to hemodialysis, the gold standard. Appropriate logistics of treatment of ESRD rely on an integrated dialysis-transplantation program. In France the percentage of some modes of therapy, including home dialysis and transplantation, should be increased.