Kidney weight and volume among living donors in Brazil.
OBJECTIVE
The present study was performed to measure kidney weight and volume among living donors of both sexes in Brazil.


METHODS
This was a cross-sectional survey carried out between December 2001 and August 2004.


METHODS
Kidney transplantations from 219 living donors were analyzed for this study. The kidneys were weighed in grams on a single-pan digital balance just after drainage of the perfusion fluid and removal of the perirenal fat. The kidney volume was determined in milliliters by water displacement.


RESULTS
The mean age at nephroureterectomy was 44 +/- 9.5. The donor organs came from the left side in 172 cases and from the right side in 47 cases. The weights and volumes of the right and left kidneys were, respectively, 169.83 +/- 29.91 g and 157.38 +/- 31.84 ml; and 173.00 +/- 33.52 g and 160.34 +/- 34.40 ml. The differences between the sides were not significant.


CONCLUSIONS
According to the present study, kidney weight cannot be the only factor determining the side on which nephroureterectomy is performed, because of the lack of statistical significance between the two sides. On average, females donate lower nephron doses than males do, which could in some transplants result in allograft damage.
Vasconcelos
Vladimir Tonello de
VT
Department of Surgery, Hospital do Rim e Hipertensão, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Katayama
Rafael Cauê
RC
Ribeiro
Maria Flavia de Lima
MF
Medina-Pestana
José Osmar
JO
Baptista-Silva
José Carlos Costa
JC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009392:Nephrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D009929:Organ Size; D012016:Reference Values; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors