DOUBLE RENAL-TRANSPLANT FROM INFANT DONORS - A GOOD ALTERNATIVE FOR ADULT RECIPIENTS

Several groups have reported technical complications and poor graft su rvival rates in kidney transplants from pediatric donors to adult reci pients, Increased incidences of acute rejections, vascular thrombosis, and early glomerulosclerotic lesions have led many groups to abandon this graft combination. Over the last 4 years, we have set up a progra m of two-kidney transplantation from cadaveric infant donors under age 3 years, which to date includes 15 adult recipients, Thirteen of thes e grafts are currently functioning at least as well as those from adul t donors, after a mean follow-up of 1.5 years, Our surgical and therap eutic procedures have led to a minimization of the early complications reported by other groups, With this transplantation procedure, the pa tients receive double the number of nephrons, which will probably give them better long-term function, The encouraging results achieved by o ur group may help change the current consideration of pediatric donors as ''suboptimal'' ones.