[The history of kidney transplantation at Susak hospital].

Kidney transplantation is the most efficient method of renal replacement therapy. Development of kidney transplantation occurred in the second part of the 20th century. At Susak hospital, the first experimental surgical acts on animal models started in 1996. The first kidney transplantation from living related donor at Susak hospital was performed on January 31, 1971. One year later, first transplantation from cadaveric donor was performed. In the last 40 years, development of transplantation medicine in Rijeka and Croatia was successful and Rijeka has become one of the top transplantation centers in Croatia today. Since 2007, Department of Urology has become Referral Center for Kidney Transplantation of the Croatian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.