As a part of the nationally ranked program, the kidney transplant team at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health is proud to provide children with the highest level of care each and every day.

Program Highlights:

• We are experts in high-risk kidney transplants.
• Our kidney desensitization program is one of only a few steroid-free programs in the U.S., enabling us to perform kidney transplants for patients once considered ineligible.
• Our use of pulsatile machine perfusion of donor kidneys significantly improves the chance for a successful kidney transplant.
• We pioneered the use of laparoscopic donor nephrectomy to make the procedures minimally invasive for living kidney donors.
• We developed an innovative pancreas/kidney transplant technique where both organs are placed on the right side only, allowing for a less invasive surgery, and preserving the vessels on one side if a future transplant is needed.

Experts Provide Personal Meetings
We offer kidney transplant information and education at the convenience of you and your family. Our surgeons and physicians conduct informational meetings with our young patients who may be nervous about transplant. This meeting gives patients and families time to ask questions and become comfortable with the procedure. Learn more about our kidney transplant education offerings.

Kidney Transplant Indications

If your child has end-stage renal disease and cannot live without dialysis or a transplant, a kidney transplant may be a good option. A few of the conditions that lead to end stage renal disease include:

• Congenital renal disorders
• Congenital nephrotic syndrome
• Berger disease or IgA nephritis
• Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis 
• Lupus nephritis
• Alport syndrome
• Hemolytic uremic syndrome
• Goodpasture syndrome
• Nephropathic and juvenile cystinosis
• Chronic pyelonephritis
• Oxalosis
• Nail-patella syndrome
• Glomerulonephritis
• Henoch-Schonlein purpura
• Membranous nephritis
• Polycystic kidney disease
• Wegener granulomatosis

Kidney Transplant Outcomes

For children with end-stage renal disease, our commitment makes a difference. Our best practices ensure that each transplant surgeon personally reviews each potential donor for a viable match. The result is shorter patient wait times and excellent graft and survival outcomes.