Urological Nephrectomies for Benign Disease: A Possible Missed Resource in Organ Donation.

OBJECTIVES: The deficit of organs for renal transplant is a global issue. The United Kingdom Hospital Episode Statistics indicates there that were 8168 nephrectomies undertaken in 2014. Furthermore, according to the British Association of Urological Surgeons 2014 nephrectomy report, 71.8% of patients undergoing a nephrectomy had creatinine levels of less than 120 IU/L and roughly 20% had the procedure for benign and functional causes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We report a prospective case series from March 2014 to March 2016 involving 6 patients showing 3 successful transplants performed following 3 native nephrectomies. RESULTS: All recipients had normal creatinine levels with good function at 12 months, and all nephrectomy patients, in addition to maintaining normal renal function, had definitive resolution of symptoms. The main limitation of this series was the small sample size. CONCLUSIONS: There is no doubt that all should be done to save native organ function, and all salvage procedures and psychological testing must be robust before considering this route. However, within the group that proceeds to nephrectomy, some cases may have the potential to generate a new pool of donor organs suitable for transplant, helping to tackle the organ deficit in renal transplantation.