Living unrelated (commercial) renal transplantation in children

Long waiting times for cadaveric renal transplantation has led the frustrated parents of Arab children with end-stage renal disease treated in our center to seek commercial renal transplantation (CRT) outside Israel. During the past 3 yr, 18 children, aged 13 +/- 1 yr, underwent CRT in one center in Iraq. Post-CRT follow-up was 20.2 +/- 2.5 mo. Immediate complications (abroad) included: death on the day of surgery (n = 1) and vascular thrombotic events requiring removal of a previously functioning graft (n = 2). There was a high incidence of urologic problems, mainly as a result of inadequate uretero-vesical anastomosis. Calculated creatinine clearance at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 mo was 84.7 +/- 6.4, 91.0 +/- 6.8, 90.8 +/- 6.2, 82.5 +/- 9.5, and 77.7 +/- 8.2 ml/min per 1.73 m2 respectively, representing excellent graft function in 13 patients and slightly compromised function in two children. One- and two-year patient survival was 94.4%, with a graft survival of 83.3%. CRT in these Arab children had a favorable outcome despite severe early postoperative complications. Graft function at follow-up was comparable to cadaveric renal transplantation in Israel. This may reflect a propensity for healthy young adult donors. Despite these results, the authors oppose and discourage the practice of CRT on legal and ethical grounds. Not to provide follow-up care in this specific group of patients would not have been in their best interest.