Influence of cadaver donor age on the success of kidney transplants.

To investigate the impact of donor age on the outcome of renal transplants, a retrospective analysis of 440 consecutive cadaver donor kidney transplants were performed by dividing the transplants into six groups, according to the decade of donor age. These groups were comparable with regard to recipient age, sex, race, and HLA matching grade, while the pediatric group received kidneys preferentially from the first and second decade donors. Although cadaver donor age, between 11 and 50 years, did not appear to influence the result of kidney transplants, the kidneys retrieved from the first and sixth or higher decades of donors fared significantly worse. Improved criteria for the evaluation, selection, and management of cadaver donors of extreme ages is needed to achieve a satisfactory result.