Pre-emptive kidney transplantation is associated with improved graft survival in children: Data from the French renal replacement therapy registry

Introduction Kidney transplantation (KT) is the treatment of choice for end-stage renal disease. Pre-emptive KT is considered to be the most optimal treatment of ESRD particularly in children but reports on the results of paediatric pre-emptive KT are scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of pre-emptive KT on the risk of graft failure in children with ESRD. Methods We analyzed all first kidney transplants performed in children Results A total of 1920 paediatric patients were included, of whom 387 (20.2%) received a pre-emptive KT. Median time of follow-up was 7.0 years [IQR (3.0–11.7)]. At 10 years post-transplant, graft survival was 85.2% in pre-emptive KT and 67.1% in non-pre-emptive KT ( P P Conclusion In France, pre-emptive KT in children is associated with a lower risk of graft failure than KT performed after the initiation of dialysis, and should be encouraged when feasible.