Single Incision Robotic-Assisted Donor Nephrectomy

Introduction: Robotic-assisted donor nephrectomy is evolving as an improved method of standard laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. To further reduce the donor morbidity, we are present a case of a single incision robotic-assisted donor nephrectomy.

Materials and Methods: A 21 year old female was cleared for left kidney donation to her father. Computed tomography (CT) angio of abdomen revealed normal renal anatomy. The procedure was explained to the patient, it's innovative nature, expected advantages, and potential risks. The patient was placed in a right lateral decubitus position. A single port was inserted through a 5-cm midline incision starting at the umbilicus and extending downwards. Two 12-mm and two 8-mm trocars were placed in a diamond configuration through the port. The robotic system was used for the case.

Results: Operative time was 150 minutes with warm ischemia time of 3 min and EBL was 75 ml. The patient was discharged 72 hours after surgery and there were no perioperative complications.

Conclusion: Single incision robotic donor nephrectomy can be safely performed using the same incision that is used for extraction of the kidney. This approach can potentially increase the donor pool by further decreasing the invasiveness of living donation

Angela Echeverria, MD; Carlos Galvani, MD; Ulises Garza, MD;1 Amit Kaul, MD; Chirag Desai, MD; Tun Jie, MD; Rainer Gruessner, MD

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ