Recent advances in the management of renal osteodystrophy in children.

Secondary hyperparathyroidism remains the predominant histologic lesion in pediatric patients undergoing regular dialysis, but recent evidence indicates that the regulation of parathyroid hormone secretion by calcium does not differ substantially between patients with osteitis fibrosa and subjects with normal renal function. Growth retardation and skeletal deformities are major findings in pediatric patients with renal osteodystrophy, and alterations in vitamin D metabolism and insulin-like growth factor almost certainly contribute to these findings. Avoidance of aluminum-containing medications and the introduction of intermittent calcitriol therapy provide newer approaches to the effective management of secondary hyperparathyroidism in pediatric patients with end-stage renal disease.