[Retroperitoneal laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy: report of 58 cases]

To review a single-institution experience with retroperitoneal laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy (RLDN).

Fifty-eight donors underwent RLDN at our institution (including 32 male and 26 female donors aged 20-61 years, mean 42 years). Left nephrectomy was performed in 56 cases. The first 35 patients underwent total RLDN, and the latter 23 received modified RLDN.

RLDN was performed successfully in all the patients without conversion to open surgery. The mean surgical time was 93 min (range 70-130 min), and the mean blood loss was 20 ml (range 10-50 ml), with a mean warm ischemia time of 2.8 min (1.3-6 min). Retroperitoneal hematoma occurred postoperatively in one case. The mean hospital stay of the donors was 6.4 days (5-10 days). Two recipients showed delayed graft function, and one graft was lost because of acute rejection. The other recipients had normal renal function in two weeks except for 3 having normal renal function in 4 weeks.

RLDN is a safe procedure with minimal invasiveness, and the modified RLDN lowers the learning curve of the surgery.