Ten years' experience of renal transplantation in children in the cyclosporine era.

Sixty renal transplantations were performed in 53 children, 0.4-16.0 years of age during the last 10 years. Fifty-five percent of the children were < or = 7 years at transplantation and 23% were < or = 2 years. Congenital nephropathies were the primary disease in 79%. Preemptive transplantation was performed in 24 first transplantations. Forty-two grafts came from living related donors and 18 came from cadaveric donors. The 1- and 5-year patient survival rates in the 0- to 7.0-year age group were 83% and 83%, respectively, and in the 7.1- to 16.0-year age group, 100% and 93%. The 1- and 5-year graft survival rates were 77% and 77% and 90% and 74% in the two groups, respectively. In children < or = 2 years old at transplantation, the 1- and 5-year patient and graft survival rates were the same, 86% and 86% in living related donors recipients, whereas they were 40% and 40% in cadaveric donors recipients. Six patients died, 3 with functioning grafts. An additional 7 grafts were lost in 6 patients, all of whom were subsequently retransplanted. The median height SD scores at transplantation was -2.98 SD in children with congenital diseases and -0.48 SD in children with acquired diseases. The median height SD scores of the 22 children followed for 3 years after transplantation was -1.06 SD. It is concluded that the survival rates obtained are satisfactory, despite the fact that the majority of the children were transplanted at a comparatively young age because of a high frequency of congenital renal disorders.