title: Renal transplantation in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Renal transplantation is the preferred method for the treatment of children in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In this retrospective study, we analyzed the results at our center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between November 1993 and June 2006, 86 children (50 boys and 36 girls) received organs from 50 living donors (LDTx) and 36 cadaveric donors (CDTx). Twenty children were <10 years. In addition to ESRD, some patients had one or more other high-risk factors, eg, abnormal lower urinary tract in 36 recipients (42%). The procedure was a preemptive transplantation in 28, and a retransplantation in 9 recipients. Induction immunosuppression used either antithymocyte globulin (43 cases) or anti-interleukin-2 receptor antibodies (20 cases).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients were followed for 6 to 150 months. There were 24 surgical complications (28%), 26 acute rejection episodes (33%), and 17 of systemic bacterial or viral infections. Two recipients died at 1 and 21 months. The 14 grafts were lost at 1 day to 87 months. The 1- and 10-year actuarial survival rates were 99% and 98%, respectively, for the recipients, and 88% and 84%, respectively, for the grafts. The 10-year actuarial graft survival rates were 98% in LDTx and 64% in CDTx; 86% in recipients >10 years old and 75% in recipients <10 years old. Abnormal urinary tract, pretransplantation dialysis, and transplant number showed no effect on graft survival. All pediatric recipients with functioning grafts are fully rehabilitated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Renal transplantation is the preferred method of treatment for children in ESRD. Higher graft survival rates were achieved in older children and following LDTx.
authors.affiliation: Hamed Al-Essa Organ Transplantation Centre, Kuwait. masamhan@gmail.com
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Samhan
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fathi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Al-Kandari
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buresley
authors.forename: M R N
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Nampoory
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Halim
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Mousawi
mesh_terms: D002102:Cadaver; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000601:surgery; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000401:mortality / Q000502:physiology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007730:Kuwait; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014019:Tissue Donors