[Development, state of the art and perspectives of transplantation medicine, exemplified by kidney transplantation].

In particular the knowledge of the immunological aspects of organ rejection represented a giant step forward in the field of transplantation medicine. However, despite the fact that, in the absence of a contraindication, every dialysis-requiring preterminal/terminal renal insufficiency is an indication for transplantation, fewer than 20% of 50,000 candidate patients in Germany are earmarked for a new kidney. Furthermore, the fate of the patients on the waiting list is determined in particular by the dearth of donor organs. As a rule, the source of a transplantable kidney continues to be a brain-dead donor. If, however, no such organ is likely to be available in the foreseeable future, a kidney from a living donor is an alternative option. The proportion of organs from living donors in Germany is currently between 10 and 20%.