What type of surgery is usually performed?
The donor’s kidney is usually removed laparoscopically. Laparoscopic nephrectomy requires that a four to five inch incision be made along side of the navel. Four smaller abdominal incisions are also made in various places. The laparoscope contains a small camera, which allows the surgeon to see what he is doing on a video monitor. Other precision instruments disconnect the kidney, which is carefully removed through the navel incision. This procedure takes approximately four hours to complete. We were the fourth transplant center in the nation to perform laparoscopic kidney donations, and we have performed over 200 procedures since 1997.
