The Living Donor in Renal Transplantation: Availability, Preoperative and Postoperative Renal Function

Abstract

Primarily volunteering related donors appeared for 39 out of 51 uremic patients considered suitable for kidney transplantation. A donor examination reduced the donor population so that ultimately only 24 patients (47 per cent) had suitable living donors. An age-dependent reduction of filtration rate was found among donors of both sexes. The likelihood of finding a donor with a filtration rate above 90 ml/min diminishes as donor age passes 50 years. In the remaining kidney of the donor there is a 10 to 40 per cent rise in filtration rate immediately after nephrectomy. A further slow and inconsistent rise occurs after donation. A brief report is given of the characteristics of a number of unrelated volunteers answering a newspaper advertisement for kidney donors.