Final report from the ASERNIP-S audit of laparoscopic live-donor nephrectomy.

The Australian Safety and Efficacy Register of New Interventional Procedures--Surgical (ASERNIP-S) audit of laparoscopic live-donor nephrectomy commenced in 1999 and concluded in 2003. Six centres in Australia and New Zealand contributed data for 219 donor patients regarding perioperative and postoperative outcome of surgery and short-term follow-up. These data were compared with a recent systematic review of LLDN. The Australasian experience to date compared favourably with worldwide practice, both in terms of efficacy and safety for donors (at least in the short term). The collection of audit data, as this technique was introduced into the Australasian healthcare system, has allowed the local experience with this technique to be pooled and shared, resulting in the development of Australasian practice in line with world's best practice in this area.