Our pediatric kidney transplant program reports post-transplant survival rates that rank among the world's best. Completing nearly 50o kidney transplants over the past 42 years, the program offers cadaveric and living donor (both open and laparoscopic) organ donations.
A multidisciplinary approach to care combines center experts with dedicated pediatric surgeons and pediatric urologists to diagnose and treat complicated structural abnormalities.
The kidney transplant team is led by surgical director
Riccardo Superina, MD, and by medical director
Richard A. Cohn, MD. For more information on kidney transplantation at Children's Memorial, please email us at
SiragusaTransplantWeb@childrensmemorial.org.*
Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy
Recognized as a safe procedure with excellent outcomes, laparoscopic donor nephrectomy at Children's Memorial is today's preferred choice for most kidney transplant donors.
This less invasive alternative to traditional open donor nephrectomy is performed through four small holes underneath the ribcage where instruments and the laparoscope (a miniature camera) are placed. The kidney is removed through a 2- to 3-inch incision in the abdomen, compared with the 10-inch rib incision typically required in open surgery.
While certain situations, such as extra blood vessels supplying the kidneys or scarring from previous surgeries, may call for traditional open surgery, laparascopic donor nephrectomy can offer the donor:
- Fewer post-op days in the hospital
- Speedier recovery
- Less scarring
- Decreased post-operative pain