Laparoscopic Live Donor Nephrectomy

Since the first successful renal transplant between identical twins in Boston, USA, in 1954, no major surgical advance was made in the technique of live donor renal transplantation until 1995, when a team from Johns Hopkins University, USA, performed the first human laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy (LLDN). Since then, more than 5,000 LLDNs have been performed worldwide, with excellent outcomes in donors and recipients. Despite this, LLDN remains a controversial operation in many renal transplant centers. This article reviews results from some of the larger published series, and summarizes our practice at Westmead Hospital, where we have performed over 100 transperitoneal LLDNs since 1998.