Laparoscopic Live Donor Nephrectomy: Single-Center Experience of 200 Consecutive Cases

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Transplant Surgery
• Minimally Invasive Surgery

Background:

• Renal transplantation is the optimal treatment for end-stage renal disease.
• Live donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) is crucial due to limited deceased donor availability.
• Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) is the preferred minimally invasive approach for LDKT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and efficacy of LDN during a surgeon's transition from open donor nephrectomy (ODN).
• To assess donor and recipient outcomes following LDN in a real-world clinical setting.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 200 donors and 200 recipients undergoing LDN and LDKT (2016-2019).
• Collection of demographic, surgical (e.g., operative time, warm ischemia time), and immunological data.
• Comparison of donor/recipient outcomes with published literature and assessment of survival rates.

Main Results:

• Surgical outcomes, including operative time and warm ischemia time, were comparable to existing literature.
• Complication rates for donors were within expected ranges.
• One- and three-year patient and graft survival rates were favorable and consistent with published data.

Conclusions:

• LDN can be safely performed by surgeons with prior extensive laparoscopic and ODN experience.
• The transition to LDN does not compromise donor safety or graft/patient survival.
• LDN is a viable and safe option for live kidney donation.