LIVING DONOR NEPHRECTOMY - A 20-YEAR EXPERIENCE

Objectives. To review the selection criteria and perioperative morbidi ty in patients undergoing living-related donor nephrectomy. Methods. R etrospective chart review. Results. Six hundred eighty-one patients un derwent living donor nephrectomy during a 20-year period without any m ortality. The postoperative morbidity included pneumothorax requiring a chest tube in 7%, urinary tract infection in 5%, wound infection in 4%, and need for blood replacement in 0.3% of patients. Two patients h ad clinically apparent pulmonary emboli. Conclusions. Living donor nep hrectomy remains a valuable source of kidneys for transplantation but is not without risk. By using care in donor selection and surgical man agement, operative complications can be kept low.