Background: Renal artery aneurysm (RAA) is a rare condition that involves dilation of all layers of the arterial wall of the renal artery. The risk of rupture is rare, but intervention is recommended for larger aneurysms. Surgical decision-making regarding live donor renal transplantation (LDRT) centers around safety for the living donor, and laterality of the donated kidney is based on providing the donor with the best longevity pertaining to the remaining kidney. We looked to review our long-term outcomes surrounding live donor transplants from donors with RAA with ex vivo resection and reconstruction prior to implantation.
Methods: A retrospective review was done of all laparoscopic live donor transplant nephrectomies with ex vivo aneurysm resection, reconstruction, and implantation at a single center.
Results: Three pairs of patients underwent successful laparoscopic donor nephrectomy, RAA resection, reconstruction, and transplantation of kidney. 2 males and 1 female ages 47 to 58 years of age underwent transplantation. The donors at 5 years of follow-up were noted to be functioning appropriately with no long-term sequelae of their donation and a mean remanent kidney function of 63 mL/min.
Discussion: For potential live donors with asymptomatic, unilateral renal artery aneurysm and no systemic disease, live donation with ex vivo resection and reconstruction can be performed with excellent long-term donor and recipient outcomes.
Keywords: general surgery; kidney transplant; renal; transplant surgery; vascular surgery.