Is laparoscopic donor nephrectomy here to stay?

BACKGROUND: Open live donor nephrectomy is safe and provides kidneys of exc ellent quality. The complexity of the laparoscopic donor technique has rais ed considerable concerns. METHOD: Twenty-six laparoscopic live donor nephrectomies were done from Oct ober 1997 to October 1998. RESULTS: All kidneys had immediate function. All recipients except 1 had se rum creatinines less than 2.0 mg at 2 months posttransplantation. Three com plications (wound infection, neuroma, reoperation) occurred. There was no m ortality. CONCLUSIONS: Proper surgical training and patient selection can result in a safe donor operation that provides kidneys of excellent quality. Am J Surg . 1999;177:368-370. (C) 1999 by Excerpta Medica, Inc.