What is posterior laparoscopic right-sided living donor kidney resection

  Recently, we completed a case of posterior laparoscopic excision of the right living donor kidney. In general, the left kidney is preferred for live donor kidney extraction, mainly because the left renal vein is longer and more convenient to reveal and extract. However, in some cases, it is necessary to choose the right donor kidney, for example, in this case, the donor has a prolapsed right kidney, and if the left kidney is donated, the prolapsed right kidney will be a potential risk factor for its function.  The right renal artery split into two branches into the kidney earlier, and the branches split at the edge of the exiting inferior vena cava as seen on CTA, making the surgery more difficult and risky. Moreover, despite the presence of renal hypoplasia, the right renal vein was still short, and the length of the vein after two Hem-o-lok clamps could not meet the need for anastomosis if done laparoscopically. Finally, it was decided that after laparoscopic freeing of the kidney and vessels, a small incision of 6-7 cm was made, and the renal artery was treated with Hem-o-lok under laparoscopic assistance and direct vision, and the renal vein was dissected after clamping the inferior vena cava with a cardiac ear clamp.  The operation went smoothly and lasted for 90 minutes. The donor recovered satisfactorily and the recipient recovered the function of the transplanted kidney after the operation.  Healthy kidney donors donate their healthy kidneys in order to heal their loved ones’ diseases. Traditional open surgery donor kidney removal requires a 15-20 cm long incision in the waist, which is traumatic, slow to recover after surgery, and has a certain impact on physical labor. Every effort should be made to minimize the damage to them from surgery, and the development of laparoscopic technology has met this need, but also poses a serious challenge to the surgeon’s skills. The laparoscopic excision of living donor kidney must be performed on the basis of skilled laparoscopic nephrectomy to effectively ensure the safety of the kidney donor.