Kidney transplantation is a treatment option for children who have reached end-stage kidney disease. We perform kidney transplants for children before there is a need to start dialysis (preemptive kidney transplantation) and for children already on dialysis. A child may require dialysis as a bridge to receiving a kidney transplant.

Examples of conditions we treat:

Surgical treatment options:

The pediatric kidney transplant surgeons at St. Louis Children’s Hospital have vast experience using all available kidney donor options, including:

Living kidney donor transplant: Our specialists make every attempt to match our kidney transplant patients with a suitable living kidney donor. Our adult hospital, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, will provide a comprehensive evaluation of any potential donors. We can often find a solution even if your preferred donor is not an ideal match.  We can pursue other options for living kidney donor transplant, such as:

Paired-donor kidney transplant: Sometimes a patient may have a friend or relative who wants to donate a kidney, but their organ isn’t suitable for that particular patient. A paired-donor exchange program can increase your chances (and potentially decrease your wait) for a transplant. Learn more about paired-donor kidney transplant.

Deceased kidney donor transplant: Today, most kidney transplant recipients receive kidneys from deceased donors. Though patients in some parts of the country may wait as long as several years for a deceased kidney, we are able to provide considerably shorter wait times, often under a year, because we maximize all of our donor options.