Nephrology and Hypertension

The Pediatric Nephrology Clinic at Mayo Clinic Children's Center in Minnesota offers comprehensive services for all kidney and urinary diseases in children. Whenever possible, your child remains with the same doctor for follow-up visits, telephone calls and other services. In the tradition of the Mayo Clinic collaborative practice model, specialists in the Pediatric Nephrology Clinic maintain close working relationships with colleagues in other specialties.

Conditions treated

Pediatric nephrologists diagnose and treat children with the following disease and conditions:

• Acute glomerulonephritis
• Acute kidney failure
• Alport syndrome
• Blood in urine (hematuria)
• Chronic kidney disease
• Congenital anomaly of the kidney
• Congenital anomaly of the urinary tract
• Congenital urologic and nephrologic disorders
• Cystinosis
• End-stage renal disease
• Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS)
• Genetic and inherited kidney disorders
• Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• IgA nephropathy (Berger's disease)
• In utero kidney anomalies
• Inherited cystic kidney disease
• Kidney disease associated with conditions that are not limited to the kidney, including granulomatosis with polyangiitis, Henoch-Schonlein purpura, systemic vasculitis, lupus, polyarteritis nodosa and Goodpasture's syndrome
• Kidney stone disorders, including rare and genetic conditions, such as primary hyperoxaluria, cystinuria, Dent disease, and 24-hydroxylase deficiency
• Kidney transplantation
• Lupus nephritis
• Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis
• Membranous nephropathy
• Multicystic dysplastic kidney
• Nephritis
• Nephrotic syndrome
• Pediatric renal replacement therapy (dialysis)
• Polycystic kidney disease
• Posterior urethral valves
• Protein in urine
• Reflux nephropathy
• Renal vein thrombosis
• Tubulointerstitial nephritis
• Urinary reflux
• Urinary tract infections, recurrent
• Vesicoureteral reflux

Team approach, tailored to your child's needs

The Pediatric Nephrology Clinic coordinates care across specialties to develop treatment plans specific to each child.

Your pediatric nephrology team will fully evaluate your child, review records, order any needed tests and make recommendations regarding therapy.

Pediatric nephrology offers a wide range of expertise, including:

• Dedicated, fellowship-trained doctors board-certified in pediatric nephrology, who evaluate your child's kidney issues and provide a holistic view of your child's needs and family goals, to create an individualized plan of care
• A clinical pediatric nurse, who assists your child and family in understanding, coordinating and implementing the treatment plan
• A pediatric dialysis technician to help the child undergoing dialysis
• A pediatric dietitian

Depending on your child's needs, the team may include pediatric specialists in urology, transplant surgery, digestive diseases (gastroenterology), rheumatology, endocrinology and hematology-oncology. You may also consult with a pediatric diagnostic referral team, if your child has complex medical conditions.

Latest treatments and technology

Mayo Clinic has long been a destination for parents seeking answers and the best treatment for their children's medical conditions. These are just a few of the approaches that are transforming medical care for children with renal issues:

• 3D Printing Lab. Pediatric radiologists create 3D models of complex anatomy from CT scans and MRI scans in order to help surgeons plan their approach.
• Fertility Preservation Program for children. The only such program in the region, the program provides an additional option for children with cancer or other medical conditions that could affect their future fertility. These options are for post-pubertal and pre-pubertal children.
• Minimally invasive and robotic surgery.
• Fetal surgery. For fetuses with spina bifida and lower urinary tract obstruction (LUTO), the care team might include experts in maternal and fetal medicine, pediatric neurosurgery, pediatric urology and others as needed to assess and provide expert care.
• Multidisciplinary care of people with spina bifida and spinal cord injuries.
• Proton beam therapy. Children with cancer stand to benefit the most from proton beam therapy, and conversely can suffer the greatest long-term harm from conventional radiation therapy since their organs are still developing. Proton beam therapy is an attractive option for children with certain types of cancer.

Top-ranked center

Mayo Clinic, which includes Mayo Clinic Children's Center, is recognized as a top choice for patients and families by U.S. News & World Report and many other ranking organizations.

The Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center meets strict standards for a National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center, recognizing scientific excellence and a multispecialty approach focused on cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Mayo Clinic is a member of the Children's Oncology Group. This large collaboration among hospitals gives children access to clinical trials that offer the latest in treatments for childhood cancers.