Living Donor Renal Transplant After Ex Vivo Partial Nephrectomy for Incidentally Detected Small Renal Mass: A Case...

Because of the risk of tumor implantation, a kidney with a small renal mass is not accepted as a donor in the kidney transplant program. Here, we evaluated the long-term outcomes of transplantation of kidneys with small renal mass.

We reviewed 14 donors who had been incidentally diagnosed with a small renal mass during standard donor evaluation. All donors underwent laparoscopic donor nephrectomy followed by bench resection of the mass. The negative margins were confirmed on the frozen section.

On histopathological examination, 6 masses were reported as renal cell carcinoma, 4 were angiomyolipomas, 2 were oncocytoma, and 2 were papillary adenoma. After a median follow-up of 30 months, no recurrences were shown in the recipients. All recipients showed stable graft function.

When no other donor is available, a kidney with a small renal mass can be considered for living related kidney transplant. Bench excision of the mass was oncologically safe, with recipients having good long-term outcomes.