title: Living donor nephrectomy. Complication rates in 490 consecutive cases.
abstract: 490 living donor nephrectomies were performed during a 25-year period, all through a retroperitoneal approach. In this report, short-term complications and donor renal function are analysed. There was no mortality. The major complication rate was 1.4%. There were 5 cases of postoperative haemorrhage requiring reoperation, one of which developed non-A-non-B hepatitis. There was one case each of septicemia and pulmonary embolism. All these patients recovered. Minor complications were noted in 13.6% of the cases, mostly bacteriuria or minor pulmonary infiltrates. There were 5 cases of reversible heart disorders and 6 cases of mental disorders. After 6-12 months, all donors had satisfactory function of the remaining kidney, which had increased its GFR by 32-38%. We conclude that the short-term consequences of donor nephrectomy are acceptable. From previous reports, from this unit and from others, it is evident that the procedure does not carry any definite long-term health risks. With a permanent shortage of cadaveric organs and with continued superiority in the outcome of living donor transplantations, this important resource should not be disregarded.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Blohmé
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fehrman
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nordén
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009392:Nephrectomy; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000209:etiology; D014019:Tissue Donors