Renal Transplantation
Renal transplantation in adult patients can be performed also quite successfully in pediatric patients. The causes of renal failure in children are different than in adults. Renal failure in childhood is usually caused by congenital causes. The incidence of renal failure in children is around 10-15 people per 1 million.
The most common causes of renal failure in children;
PUV (Posterior urethral valve)
Vesicoureteral reflux (urine leakage from the bladder to the kidney)
Urinary tract infections
Congenital disorders of kidneys
Glomerular diseases of the kidney
The children with untreated cancer disease, untreated infectious diseases and low chance of life are not allowed to transplantation.
Kidney transplantation can be performed even in children under one year of age. However, it is necessary to have a small kidney suitable for this baby. The most important problem in kidney transplantation in young infants is that after a large volume of kidney is inserted into the body, this kidney should be able to draw blood in the circulatory system and the heart must be strong enough to pump enough blood into this organ. Therefore, for children with a body weight of 20 kg or less, the volume of the kidney should be small. A small volume of kidney can either be provided by cadaveric organ donation, or can be found by donating kidney of small bodied mother or father to their children.
In children with a body weight greater than 30 kg, renal transplantation is performed in a manner similar to that in adults. The kidney is placed on the outside of the abdominal membrane and its vessels are connected to the large vessels leading to the leg. In children under 10 kg of body weight, the vessels of the kidney placed in the midline through the abdomen are connected to the largest vessels in the body, the aorta and vena cava.