Laparoscopic right donor nephrectomy: technique and comparison with left nephrectomy.
BACKGROUND
Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) preferentially involves the left kidney to optimize vessel length, but occasionally, right nephrectomy is preferred. Right LDN differs markedly in anatomic relations and the need for a fourth port. This retrospective study compares donor outcomes and graft function of right and left LDN and describes the technique.


METHODS
Consecutive patients undergoing right LDN from March 26, 1996 to December 31, 2000 were compared with those undergoing left LDN. Age, height, weight, body mass index, creatinine, creatinine clearance, operative time, warm ischemia time, analgesic requirements, serial postoperative creatinine, time to diet resumption, and hospital stay were compared. A second cohort matched for age, gender, race, and temporal left LDN also were compared with the group undergoing right LDN.


RESULTS
No significant differences were found for any of the parameters measured.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that despite substantial differences in the procedures, donor outcome and graft survival are similar for right and left LDN.
Swartz
D E
DE
Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland, 22 South Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
Cho
E
E
Flowers
J L
JL
Dunkin
B J
BJ
Ramey
J R
JR
Bartlett
S T
ST
Jarrell
B
B
Jacobs
S C
SC
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D009392:Nephrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome