Padova University Hospital

Pediatric Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplant Unit
Via Giustiniani, 3 - 35128 Padova - Italy

The Department

The Pediatric Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation Unit is only pediatric nephrology center in Eastern Italy for the treatment of pediatric patients with kidney disease, with acute and chronic renal failure in replacement therapy since the neonatal age and for kidney transplantation in pediatric age. The Center started the nephrology activity in 1971, the pediatric dialysis in 1973 and the renal transplantation activity in 1987.

The Unit is: National Center for Pediatric Kidney Transplantation; Pediatric Dialysis Center Northeastern Italian Regions; Center of the Regional Registry of Pediatric Nephrotic Syndrome; Regional and National center for Kidney Rare Diseases and rapresentative HCP for ERKnet.

Pediatric nephrology is able to provide the most advanced level for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of kidney diseases for children coming from national and European territory:

• prenatal diagnosis for congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT and genetic renal diseases);
• isolated or syndromic complex malformation nefrouropathies;
• primitive and secondary proteinuria and nephrotic syndromes;
• autoimmune glomerulopathy and secondary nephropathy;
• rare and genetic primitive glomerulopathies;
• kidney cystic diseases and ciliopathies (ADPKD, ARPKD, ADTKD, nephronophthisis)
• isolated and syndromic tubulopathies;
• essential and secondary hypertension;
• acute renal failure and chronic renal failure, with treatment of hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis from neonatal age;
• plasmapheresis in patients with Ab-mediated renal disease on native and transplanted kidney and thrombotic microangiopathy (SEU);
• kidney transplant (living and non-living donors);
• follow up of the patient with renal transplant up to the transition into adulthood with diagnostic pathways including renal biopsies.

The Laboratory of Immunopathology and Molecular Biology of the Kidney of UOSD offers a pattern of analysis for the immuno-histological classification of primary and secondary pediatric nephropathies and for the long-term follow-up of pediatric kidney transplant recipients. It also coordinates the management of molecular tests for genetic renal diseases.

The Unit also hosts academical activities for the School of Medicine, the School of Paediatrics - Paediatrics Surgery - Nephrology, the Ph. D. School in Developmental and Planning Sciences and the Master school in Paediatric Nephrology at the University of Padua. The Unit is a coordinating and a participating Centre in several national and international studies, ranging from clinical trials to translational research in particular concerning kidney transplantation, congenital diseases of the kidney and urinary tract, nephrotic syndrome, AKI and dialysis in childhood. The Center is part of networks and national and international registers for the diagnosis and treatment of rare renal diseases.

Public link: http://www.aopd.veneto.it/sez,3567