Expanded criteria living donors: how far can we go?

In an effort to expand the deceased donor pool, transplant centers have accepted expanded criteria donors as appropriate for many of the patients in the deceased donor pool. Translating this into the living donor pool is more complex. One must consider not only the quality of the organ procured but the consequences that the nephrectomy might have on the living donors for the rest of their lives. This review examines the available data on higher risk donors and the appropriateness, or lack thereof, of accepting them as kidney donors.