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Updated: Jul 14, 2026
Single Port Donor Nephrectomy
Published on: March 12, 2011
Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy: single-center experience in Egypt with 400 consecutive cases
H A Fettouh1, H A Raouf, A Shenoufy
1Wadi el Nile Transplant Center, Cairo University Hospital, Cairo, Egypt. elfettouh@yahoo.com
Insights
Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy offers a minimally invasive approach for kidney donation, demonstrating good outcomes for both donors and recipients. This technique reduces donor morbidity without negatively impacting kidney function.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Transplant Surgery
- Minimally Invasive Surgery
Background:
- Living donor nephrectomy is crucial for kidney transplantation.
- Evaluating surgical techniques for donor nephrectomy is essential for optimizing outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present institutional experience with laparoscopic donor nephrectomy.
- To evaluate donor and recipient outcomes following this procedure.
Main Methods:
- 400 laparoscopic donor nephrectomies performed between March 2003 and August 2006.
- Transperitoneal approach using trocars; specimen extraction via a 7-cm Pfanenstiel incision.
- Preoperative renal vasculature assessment using computed tomography angiography.
Main Results:
- All procedures completed laparoscopically with mean operative time of 117 minutes and minimal blood loss.
- No donor blood transfusions required; mean hospital stay was 2.1 days.
- Successful kidney transplantation with favorable recipient creatinine levels; low rates of complications like thrombosis and acute tubular necrosis.
Conclusions:
- Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy is a safe and effective minimally invasive technique.
- It provides excellent functional outcomes for recipients.
- Donors experience reduced morbidity with preserved kidney quality and function.
Introduction:
In this study, we present our experience with laparoscopic donor nephrectomy and evaluate the outcomes of donors and recipients.
Patients And Methods:
Between March 2003 and August 2006, 400 laparoscopic donor nephrectomies were performed in our institution. Donors were evaluated for renal vasculature using computed tomography angiography. We used the left kidney in 329 donors and the right kidney in 71. Donor surgeries were done transperitoneally using three trocars on the left side and four trocars on the right side. Kidneys were extracted manually through a 7-cm Pfanenstiel incision.
Results:
All cases were completed laparoscopically. Mean operative time was 117 +/- 34 minutes. Mean blood loss was 56 +/- 28 mL. None of the donors required a blood transfusion. Mean warm ischemia time was 2.6 +/- 0.4 minutes. The mean renal artery length was 3.1 +/- 0.4 cm; the mean renal vein length was 2.4 +/- 1.2 cm. Mean hospital stay was 2.1 days. No donor required readmission. Kidneys were transplanted successfully and the mean recipient creatinine on discharge was 1.2 +/- 0.6 mg/dL. One patient had a renal artery thrombosis on postoperative day 2. Another patient with double renal arteries had thrombosis of the smaller artery just after surgery. Acute tubular necrosis was seen in 17 patients, four of whom required dialysis. Kidney function recovered thereafter in all acute tubular necrosis cases.
Conclusion:
Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive approach for living donor nephrectomy with good functional outcomes. The donor benefits from lesser morbidity without compromising the anatomic or physiological outcome of the nephrectomized kidney.
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