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Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program

Pediatric Kidney Transplantation

Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC performed its first pediatric kidney transplant in 1964. Since then, Children's transplant teams have performed the surgery on hundreds children and young adults. The program's objective is to restore health and wellness to children suffering from end-stage renal disease.

Children's Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program, managed by the pediatric nephrology department in cooperation with a surgical team, is one of the few programs in the world that uses FK506 (also known as Prograf and Tacrolimus) as its primary immunosuppressive agent. Using FK506 has enabled the program to achieve long term patient and graft survival rates that are among the best in the world.

We also have found that FK506 provides a better quality of life for transplant recipients. For instance, children on FK are routinely taken off steroid medications after the first 6-8 months of transplant. Avoiding long term steroid use prevents side effects such as stunted growth, hirsutism (facial and body hair) and gum enlargement.

Children's Hospital's program also includes living-related kidney transplantation and liver/kidney transplantation. Children's also performed the world's first living-related pediatric kidney/bone marrow transplant.

Children's Pediatric Kidney Transplantation Program is led by:
Demetrius Ellis, MD
Ron Shapiro, MD

To make a referral for kidney transplantation, please contact Drs. Ellis, Scantlebury, Shapiro or one of the program's clinical transplant coordinators at 412-648-3200.

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh:

has performed hundreds of pediatric kidney transplants to date making Children's one of the most active pediatric kidney transplant centers in the country.
performed the first living-related pediatric kidney/bone marrow transplant in the world.

Learn more about the kidney transplants at the Hillman Center for Pediatric Transplantation.

Last Update
February 21, 2013

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