Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy: an increasingly common cause for testicular pain and swelling

Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) is now a well established method for kidney procurement from living donors. In our centre, LDN is currently offered only to donors suitable for left nephrectomy. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of testicular pain and swelling following LDN.

A total of 25 left-sided LDN male patients were assessed in a prospective structured interview together with a control cohort of 25 male patients who had undergone left-sided open donor nephrectomy (ODN).

Data were collected on testicular pain, swelling, numbness, urinary symptoms and sexual dysfunction from all 50 patients (100% response rate). Of the 25 LDN patients, 11 (44%) experienced ipsilateral testicular pain and/or swelling. In most instances, pain was of immediate onset, mild to moderate in severity, lasted for a few days to several weeks and was associated with testicular swelling (10 of 11 cases). However, testicular pain and/or swelling were not apparent in ODN patients, with only 2 of 25 (8%) experiencing mild testicular pain, 1 of whom also had swelling.

Testicular pain and swelling following LDN is a common problem. It is underreported in the literature and LDN should be included in the differential diagnoses of testicular pain and swelling. Further investigation is required to confirm our findings.