Change in renal parenchymal volume in living kidney transplant donors

Uninephrectomy would induce compensatory hypertrophy in the remaining kidney. We investigated the relationship between changes in renal parenchymal volume (RPV) and renal function after nephrectomy in living kidney donors.

From July 2011 and January 2012, 45 kidney donors were enrolled in this study. Magnetic resonance scanning was performed before surgery, 3 and 7 days postoperatively, and RPV was calculated through disc summarize methods. Participants were followed up for 1 year.

The RPV of the remaining kidney was 118.06 ± 23.51 cm(3) and then increased by 21.23 % to 143.13 ± 25.52 cm(3) at 3 days and by 24.17 % to 146.60 ± 25.86 cm(3) at 7 days. Multivariate regression analysis showed that preoperative RPV is positively related to its initial function (p = 0.037); the RPV at 7 days is directly related to its initial, preoperative size (p < 0.001). With respect to change in postoperative RPV, there is bigger gain in size in smaller kidneys (p = 0.005). The kidneys that has ≥20 % increase RPV after 7 days are more likely to show further increase in GFR at 1 year (p = 0.024).

Uninephrectomy induced immediately increment in RPV of the remaining kidney. Donors with RPV increase of ≥20 % at 1 week have a more favourable renal function adaptation at 1 year.