Does video-assisted minilaparotomy surgical living donor nephrectomy satisfy donors?

Video-assisted minilaparotomy surgical (VAMS) nephrectomy is believed to provide better cosmetic outcomes than open-donor nephrectomy in healthy donors. However, the results of a few studies have influenced the opinion of donors on their physical appearance. This study investigated the satisfaction of donors after a VAMS living donor nephrectomy.

Donors who underwent VAMS living donor nephrectomy between 2009 and 2011 were requested to fill out a body image questionnaire. This questionnaire consisted of three subscales: body image scale (BS), confidence in surgery scale (CS), and hospital experience scale (HS). A total of 20 VAMS living nephrectomy donors completed the questionnaire.

The study included 3 male and 17 female donors of overall mean age of 38.7 ± 12.4 years. Eight donors were unmarried (40.0%), 11 were married (55.0%), and 1 was divorced. The mean follow-up was 7.9 ± 4.5 months. The mean BS, CS, and HS scores were 41.6 ± 5.3, 21.85 ± 8.3, and 13.9 ± 2.2, corresponding to perfect scores of 50, 30, and 20, respectively.

The results of this study showed that VAMS nephrectomy donors tended to be pleased with their body image, operation, and hospital experiences.