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Updated: Jul 25, 2026
Single Port Donor Nephrectomy
Published on: March 12, 2011
Laparoscopic Fixation for Torsion of Transplanted Kidney: A Case Report
R Pery1, E Shaharabani1, B Gazer1
1Department of General Surgery and Transplantation, Sheba Medical Center, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Background:
Kidney graft torsion and subsequent acute kidney injury is a rare yet potentially devastating complication of intraperitoneal kidney transplant. We report a case of this elusive diagnosis and describe kidney salvage by using laparoscopic fixation.
Case Report:
A 49-year-old male patient presented with multiple episodes of anuric acute kidney injury 16 months after an uneventful combined orthotopic liver and kidney transplantation. After a thorough investigation, a diagnosis of kidney torsion was made, and the patient was urgently operated. Upon surgery, a complete torsion of a viable kidney was found. Laparoscopic fixation was achieved by using an absorbable mesh "pocket." The patient has experienced no similar episodes in the subsequent year.
Conclusions:
Nephrologists and surgeons should be aware of this rare complication. Prompt diagnosis and operative repair are crucial to save the graft. Prophylactic nephropexy should be considered in all intraperitoneal transplantations.
