Single-port donor nephrectomy provides improved patient satisfaction and equivalent outcomes

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Transplantation

Background:

• Minimally invasive surgical techniques have expanded the donor pool for living kidney transplantation.
• Single-port donor nephrectomy, a recent advancement, allows the entire procedure through a single umbilical incision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare outcomes of single-port donor nephrectomy with traditional multiple-port laparoscopic donor nephrectomy.
• To evaluate patient satisfaction and cosmetic results between the two surgical approaches.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective comparison of 135 single-port donor nephrectomies with 100 multiple-port laparoscopic donor nephrectomies.
• Collection of survey data to assess patient satisfaction and cosmetic outcomes.
• Comparison with a larger cohort of 1300 laparoscopic donor nephrectomies.

Main Results:

• Single-port donor nephrectomy was successful in 135 patients without major complications or open conversion.
• Operative times were similar between single-port and multiple-port approaches after an initial learning curve.
• Single-port patients reported higher satisfaction with cosmetic outcomes and the overall donation process.

Conclusions:

• Single-port donor nephrectomy is a safe and standardized approach for renal donation with improved patient satisfaction.
• The cosmetic benefits and comparable outcomes support its application in experienced centers.
• This technique may encourage more individuals to become living kidney donors.