RENAL-TRANSPLANTATION .1.

(First of Two Parts) RENAL transplantation and dialysis are in wide use for the treatment of chronic renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). By 1984, more than 55,000 patients in the United States will be on dialysis treatment for ESRD, with over 5200 likely to receive transplants. Medical services alone for these patients will cost over $3 billion in 1984.1 Similar estimates are likely, on the basis of current treatment statistics, for Canada2 and Europe.3 In spite of an enormous expenditure of funds and human resources on treating relatively few patients, the two major therapies have never been given. © 1979, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.