Simultaneous Hand-assisted Laparoscopic Bilateral Native Nephrectomy and Kidney Transplantation for Patients With Large Polycystic Kidneys

Abstract

To describe our technique of simultaneous hand-assisted laparoscopic bilateral native nephrectomy (BNN) and kidney transplantation (KT) in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and present our experience. We retrospectively reviewed a cohort of adult ESRD patients with symptomatic autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease who underwent a hand-assisted laparoscopic BNN at the time of KT. We reviewed patients' and donor characteristics, and perioperative and postoperative outcomes. A total of 52 patients underwent hand-assisted laparoscopic BNN at the time of KT from January 2014 to October 2019. The median age of the recipients was 53.4 years, 57.7% were males, and the median body mass index was 29.0 kg/m2. All but one received a kidney from a living donor and the majority (86.5%) were pre-emptive. One patient required a small bowel resection due to an intraoperative small bowel injury. There was no solid organ injury during the procedure. All patients showed immediate allograft function and a steady decline in serum creatinine. The median decline in the creatinine and hemoglobin on day 1 was 1.2 mg/dL (inter quartile range 0.6-2.3) and 2.2 g/dL (inter quartile range 1.4-3.0), respectively. Simultaneous hand-assisted laparoscopic bilateral nephrectomy with KT through a modified Gibson incision is feasible and safe in the hands of an experienced laparoscopic surgeon without compromising allograft function.