ABSTRACT
Typically, a living donor is either an immediate blood-related family member or a spouse of the recipient who has end-stage renal failure. Recently, altruistic third-party donation has gained considerable attention. All potential donors are routinely evaluated according to a donation protocol. Their suitability is discussed in detail by the transplantation team comprising nephrologist, urologist, visceral and vascular surgeon, transplantation coordinators, immunological laboratories, and psychosomatic experts. Preoperatively, contrast-enhanced magnet resonance angiography (MRA) is performed to evaluate the vascular anatomy in all donors. The left kidney is preferred for donor nephrectomy because of the longer left renal vein, which facilitates the implantation process. There is consensus that the ‘better’ kidney should always remain with the donor, so that in case of certain anatomic conditions such as multiple arteries, venous anomalies, vascular stenosis or an early arterial branching the right kidney needs to be harvested.
