The clinical features of eight patients, four females, aged 4 to 15 years under chronic hemodialysis for terminal renal failure (creatinine clearance 10 ml-min-1,73 m 2 or less) are reported. Initial diseases were Alport syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, chronic glomerulonephritis (n = 2), bilateral polycystic kidney, prune belly syndrome and reflux nephropathy (n = 2). Distal vascular approach by means of arteriovenous fistulas was prefered for these patients and the kinetic urea model was used to evaluate the performance of the procedure. Patients required nine to twelve hours of hemodialysis per week for optimal results. Mean weight decreases of 1 to 3 kg and reductions in blood urea nitrogen and serum potassium of 40 mg-dl and 2,5 mEq-1, respectively, were observed. The main complications of hemodialysis were the desequilibrium syndrome, infections at the site of insertion of the arteriovenous fistulae and congestive heart failure. Three patients were submitted to renal transplantation with live donnors homografts: one died and the other two remain alive but under chronic hemodialysis. Five children are attending school regulary, and two of them are waiting a kidney donnor for transplantation. Despite encouraging results chronic hemodialysis in children constitutes only primary supportive therapy prior to renal transplantation. (Key words: chronic hemodialysis, renal failure).Se han requerido varies afios para que el de 1960 aparecieron trabajos en EUA 1 ' 2 y Frantratamiento de la insuficiencia renal terminal cia 3 , mostrando que no habia razon para que el (IRT) con dialisis y trasplante sea aplicado procedimiento no se empleara en nifios. A pesar regularmente en el nifio. A partir de la decada de las dificultades te"cnicas mayores que las obser-.. vadas en el adulto, estas y los problemas psicolo-1. Unidad de Nefrologia, Hospital LuisCalvo Mackenna. gicos lograron superarse.