Long-Term Outcomes of Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy – A Single-Centre Experience

Abstract

Renal transplantation is the most effective treatment for end-stage renal disease. Due to the global shortage of deceased donor organs, reliance on living kidney donation has increased, making long-term donor safety a critical concern. The present study aims to analyze outcomes of living kidney donorsin terms of recent trends in hemoglobin, rate of decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate, new-onset diabetes (T2DM), hypertension (HTN), and mortality rates. This hospital-based retrospective observational study included voluntary living kidney donors from January 2013 to December 2017. Data on demographics, clinical history, renal function, comorbidities, and follow-up outcomes were collected and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 205). A total of 683 living kidney donors underwent laparoscopic nephrectomy between 2013 and 2017, of which 41 were excluded due to loss to follow-up. Sixteen donors died during follow-up and were included in the survival analysis. The mean donor age was 48.1± 10.4 years, with 71.9% of donors being female, and left nephrectomy was performed in 92.1% of donors. The mean pre-op and post-op eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m 2 ) was 110.43 ± 13.35 and 70.90 ± 18.1, respectively, with 74.43 ± 17.88 at the latest follow-up. The post-donation incidence of T2DM and HTN was 6.2and 16.8%,respectively. Laparoscopic kidney donation was associated with overall favorable long-term safety in carefully selected donors, with a small subset experiencing significant decline or metabolic complications, with low rates of HTN, T2DM, and mortality. Donors showed modest, stable declines in eGFR and creatinine with minimal proteinuria and reversible hemoglobin changes.