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Division of Pediatric Nephrology

The Division of Pediatric Nephrology in the Department of Pediatrics of Saint Louis University provides comprehensive care for infants, children and adolescents with various forms of kidney or urologic disorders, both acute and chronic.

Members of the division are involved in the teaching of medical students, residents, community physicians and families and participate in clinical research studies. The division is housed at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Our multidisciplinary team includes physicians, renal nurses, a renal dietitian, a renal social worker and a play therapist. 

Medical Education 

Our educational programs address training of pediatric residents, family practice residents, and medical students, as well as community programs for families of children with renal disease and continuing medical education (CME) activities for community physicians.

Transplant and Clinical Services

Our division began a renal transplant program in 1983. Since that time, approximately 150 pediatric renal transplants have been performed. The division currently follows approximately 45 renal transplant recipients. Deceased donor, living related, and living unrelated renal transplants are currently performed. We also participate in kidney paired donation (KPD), the donor exchange program for living donors.

The division provides primary management of renal transplant recipients along with members of the transplant surgery service. We also provide fetal consultation through the Fetal Care Institute.

Hypertension

Our division has a special interest in hypertension, with a weekly clinic for patients with primary hypertension, and an active Ambulatory BP monitoring program. 

The division has a formal transition program for dialysis and transplant patients to aid in the successful transition to adult care.

Clinical Services Overview

Our physician faculty members treat a variety of acute and chronic kidney disorders, including congenital and hereditary disorders involving the kidney and urinary tract, urinary tract infections, kidney stones, hypertension, acute and chronic glomerular and tubular disorders and renal diseases that occur secondary to a variety of systemic diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, diabetes mellitus, and vasculitis.

Learn About Services Offered and Our Clinical Practice 

Research

The division participates in the North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study, a registry for Transplant, Dialysis, and Chronic Renal Insufficiency patients. We also participate in multi-center studies funded by the NIH and the  Midwest Pediatric Nephrology Consortium Study Group, as well as in pharmaceutical studies.

Current Research

Multi-Center NIH studies:

  • Cure GN: Cure Glomerulonephropathy Network, a sub-award of “Integrative Proteomics and Metabolomics for Pediatric glomerular Disease Biomarkers” (Belsha CW: Center PI)

Midwest Pediatric Nephrology Consortium Study Group Multi-Center Study

  • Outcomes of Permanent Vascular Access in Pediatric Hemodialysis Patients. (Wood EG: center PI, Co- PI for study)
  • Pediatric Glomerulonephritis with Crescents study (Maliakkal JG: Investigator)

Independent Studies

  • Study with Fetal Care Institute: Proof of Concept: Identifying Genetic Causes of Congenital Renal Disease. (Feldenberg, LR)

Grants

  • NIH-NIDDK
    C.W. Belsha, M.D. – PI at St. Louis University
    Cure GN: Cure Glomerulonephropathy Network, a sub-award of “Integrative Proteomics & Metabolomics for Pediatric Glomerular Disease Biomarkers”.
  • LR Feldenberg, M.D.- Co-investigator
    Proof of Concept: Identifying Genetic Causes of Congenital Renal Disease.

Publications

  • Seifert ME, Dahale DS, Kamel M, Winterberg PD, Barletta GM, Belsha CW, Chaudhuri A, Flynn JT, Garro R, George RP, Goebel JW, Kershaw DB, Matossian D, Misurac J, Nailescu C, Nguyen CR, Pearl M, Pollack A, Pruette CS, Singer P, VanSickle JS, Verghese P, Warady BA, Warmin A, Weng PL, Wickman L, Wilson AC, Hooper DK; IMPROVING RENAL OUTCOMES COLLABORATIVE (IROC). The Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative: Blood Pressure Measurement in Transplant Recipients. Pediatrics. 2020 Jul;146(1):e20192833. doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-2833. Epub 2020
    Jun 9. PMID: 32518170; PMCID: PMC7329257.
  • Belsha CW: Management of Hypertensive Emergencies, In: Flynn JT et al. (eds); Pediatric Hypertension, 4th Ed. Heidelberg: Springer International Publishing AG 2017, DOl 10. 1007/978-3-319-31420-4_37-1.
  • Feldenberg R, Beck A. Congenital Diseases of the Kidneys: Prognosis and Treatments. Neo Reviews 2017:18;345-56.
  • Bray-Aschenbrenner A, Feldenberg LR, Kirby A, Fitzpatrick CM and Josephsen JB. Bloody Stools in a 3-Day-Old Term Infant. Pediatrics 2017; pii; e20170073. Doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-0073
  • Lynch RE, Wood EG, Neumayr TM. Fluid and Electrolyte Issues in Pediatric Critical Care, 5th Ed. Philadelphia, PA, Elsevier, pp. 1007-1025, 2017.
  • Wen JX, Feldenberg LR, Abraham E, Sadiq F, Christensen KM, Braddock SR. Continuous Venovenous Hemodialysis Via Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Pump for Treatment of Hyperammonemia Secondary to Propionic Acidemia in Monochorionic Diamniotic Twin Boys. J Pediatr 2016 175:231-2.

Presentations

  • Maliakkal J: “Pediatric Glomerulonephritis with Crescents” at Midwest Pediatric Nephrology Consortium Study Group, April, 2018.
  • Belsha CW: “Drug-Associated Acute Kidney Injury: Which Children Are at Risk?” Pediatric Grand Rounds, Saint Louis University, January 2017.
  • Beck, A: “Fluids and Electrolytes, Nephrotic syndrome, AGN, UTI, Congenital uropathies, Hypertension” at Osler Institute Board Review Course, 2016
  • Feldenberg LR: “Pediatric Kidney Transplantation” at Adventures in Medicine (AIMs) summer program for High School students with interest in studying medicine, June 2016.
  • Onder AM, Wood E, Billings AA, Eng F, Defreitas M, Katsoufis CP, Flynn JT. Complications and outcomes of permanent vascular access (PVA) in pediatric hemodialysis patients: A MWPNC study. Poster presentation #1474. 176; American Society of Pediatric Nephrology Meeting, May 2016
  • Belsha CW: “Assessment of Renal Function in CKD” at American Nephrology Nurses Association, St. Louis Chapter, October 2015

Abstracts

  • Onder AM, Wood E, Billings AA, Grinsell M, Patterson L, Jetton J, Flynn JT, MWPNC. Predictors of maturation time for permanent vascular access (PVA) in pediatric hemodialysis (HD) patients: a MWPNC study. Poster presentation at the American Society of Nephrology Meeting, Nov, 2016, Abstract #3568. J Am Soc Nephrol 27:TH-P01067, 2016.
  • Onder AM, Wood E, Billings AA, Deng F, Defreitas M, Katsoufis C, Flynn JT, MWPNC. Predictors of adverse outcomes of permanent vascular access (PVA) in pediatric hemodialysis (HD) patients: a MWPNC study. Poster presentation at the American Society of Nephrology Meeting, Nov, 2016, Abstract #3590. J Am Soc Nephrol 27:TH-P01066, 2016