title: Body image after laparoscopic or open donor nephrectomy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) is thought to result in a better cosmetic outcome for the altruistic healthy donor than open donor nephrectomy (ODN). To the authors' knowledge, no studies have established the opinion of donors with respect to their bodily appearance. This study investigates the body image of donors after ODN and LDN.
  
  
  METHODS
  Donors who underwent surgery between 1994 and 2001 were invited to fill out a body image questionnaire. This questionnaire consists of two subscales: the body image scale (BIS) and the cosmetic scale (CS). A total of 56 LDN subjects and 69 ODN subjects responded to the questionnaire (72% of 174 donors).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both groups were comparable in terms of gender, current age, and body mass index (BMI). The time from donation until the time of this study (follow-up assessment) was significantly longer for the ODN groups. The BIS and CS were found to be comparable between the two groups. No associations were found between BIS or CS and follow-up duration. There also was no association between BIS or CS and gender, age and BMI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The body image ratings of donors do not significantly differ after ODN or LDN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Erasmus MC, Dr. Molewaterplein 40, 3015 GD, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. m.lind@erasmusmc.nl
authors.forename: M Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.forename: W C J
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Hop
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Weimar
authors.forename: J N M
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: IJzermans
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000523:psychology*; D019520:Living Donors / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009392:Nephrectomy / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*