Impact factors on allocation decisions in pediatric kidney transplantation
This webinar will be on January 26, 2027 (16:00 CET)
Kidney transplantation is the preferred treatment for children with end-stage kidney disease, providing superior survival, growth, and quality of life compared with dialysis. However, allocation of deceased donor kidneys in pediatric recipients remains challenging because the goal is not only short-term graft survival but also maximizing lifelong transplant outcomes.
This webinar will provide an overview of current allocation principles for pediatric kidney recipients within Eurotransplant and discuss factors influencing donor kidney selection. Particular attention will be paid to the impact of donor characteristics, including donor age and infectious risk profiles such as hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity, and their potential role in expanding the donor pool.
The webinar will review the evidence regarding human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching and its influence on graft survival, development of donor-specific antibodies, antibody-mediated rejection, sensitization, and access to future retransplantation. Special emphasis will be placed on the importance of HLA class II mismatches, particularly HLA-DQ and HLA-DR mismatches, which are increasingly recognized as key determinants of long-term transplant outcomes.
In addition, the interaction between donor quality and HLA matching will be discussed, highlighting how optimal allocation strategies may differ between short-term and long-term outcome perspectives. Current evidence regarding malignancy risk, retransplantation opportunities, and allocation policies aimed at improving outcomes for pediatric recipients will also be reviewed.
By integrating data from international registries and contemporary studies, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of how donor and recipient characteristics influence allocation decisions and long-term outcomes in pediatric kidney transplantation. The webinar will conclude with practical considerations for clinical decision-making and future directions for optimizing allocation strategies in children and adolescents.
Speaker:
·Dr. Nele Kanzelmeyer, Lead Senior Physician in Pediatric Nephrology, Specialist in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Deputy Director of the Department. Hannover Medical School.
Learning outcomes:
After attending this webinar participants will be able to:
- Describe the current principles of deceased donor kidney allocation for pediatric recipients.
- Evaluate the impact of donor age on short- and long-term graft survival.
- Compare the influence of different HLA mismatches on graft outcomes and sensitization.
- Assess the risks and benefits of using kidneys from HBcAb-positive and HBsAg-positive donors.
- Apply current evidence to clinical decision-making regarding donor acceptance and allocation strategies in pediatric kidney transplantation.