Launched in 1999, the program has allowed IRCCS ISMETT to perform over 1,000 kidney transplants, confirming it as a referral center for kidney transplants in Sicily and Southern Italy. Initially focused on living donor kidney transplants using a minimally invasive laparoscopic technique, the deceased-donor kidney transplant program was also introduced in 2001.
IRCCS ISMETT is actively involved in the crossover kidney transplant program promoted by CRT, the Italian National Transplant Center. This program aims to increase the number of living-donor kidney transplants despite HLA or blood group incompatibility between donor and recipient.
The pediatric kidney transplant program has experienced a significant growth in recent years and is currently the only active program of its kind in Southern Italy. The immunosuppressive protocols adopted provide for steroid-free treatment in pediatric patients or their early withdrawal in adult transplant recipients.
IRCCS ISMETT also performs combined kidney-pancreas, kidney-liver, and kidney-heart transplantation.
In 2001, IRCCS ISMETT performed Italy’s first living-donor kidney transplant in an HIV-positive patient.
