Living donor and kidney transplantation

The medical, immunological and surgical histories of the transplantation of kidneys from a living donor have developed differently. Living kidney transplantation involves better organ quality and also better kidney function than postmortal kidney transplantation. In Germany, living kidney transplantation is legally based on the transplantation statute of 1997. Traditionally, retroperitoneoscopic open nephrectomy is the golden standard used by most transplantation centres in Germany. The laparoscopic hand-assisted nephrectomy is a very good alternative to other surgical methods, but must be applied by experienced surgeons. Digital subtraction angiography gives the best information on the maintenance of the vessels of the kidney, the vessels to the upper or lower poles and the retrocaval course of the venous vessels. The rate of postoperative complications for transplantation from a living kidney donor is lower than that for postmortal kidney transplantation. The formation of a donor organ register can be very helpful in the evaluation and handling of information on organ donation.