Flank donor nephrectomy: efficacy in the donor and recipient.

Since August 1983, 115 patients have undergone live donor nephrectomy via an extraperitoneal flank approach with rib resection. Over-all hospital stay was short and morbidity was negligible. Early graft function was excellent as determined by urinary output in the first 20 hours postoperatively (mean 6,442 cc) and low nadir serum creatinine (mean 1.57 mg. per dl.). Acute tubular necrosis or urinary fistula developed in 3 kidneys (2.6 per cent). In the entire series, only 1 graft (0.8 per cent) was lost to technical complications. We conclude that an extraperitoneal flank approach to live donor nephrectomy is safe for the donor, and provides a structurally and functionally sound allograft for the recipient.