Robot-Assisted Nephrectomy in a Living Kidney Donor – a Case Report

Aim: The use of minimal-invasive surgical methods in kidney donation surgery led to an increased number of living kidney donors. The laparoscopic donor nephrectomy has become the gold standard for living kidney donation but nowadays the robot-assisted nephrectomy for living kidney donation (RADN) has been performed in expert centres. We present a case of RADN followed by a successful kidney transplantation. Case report: The 77-year-old man with adult polycystic kidney disease gradually progressed to end-stage renal disease and started with dialysis in December 2022. After extensive assessment, his 61-year-old sister was prepared to be a donor. In September 2023, a successful RADN was performed. The left kidney was procured. The kidney was successfully transplanted to the recipient with a cold ischemia time of 4 hours and 30 minutes. The postoperative course was uneventful for both donor and recipient. Three months after surgery the renal function is stable in both patients. Conclusion: The RADN is a safe and effective method with comparable results to laparoscopic donor nephrectomy used in centres with robotic surgery.