Living-donor kidney transplantation

Due to the existing organ shortage the option of a kidney transplantation (KTx) in patients with end-stage renal disease is not always possible despite the offer of this therapy. So far the required number of KTx could not be adequately achieved by organ donations from deceased persons. To solve this problem living donation KTx programs have already become established in many transplantation centers. In published reports it has been shown that with the living donation program better results could be achieved in terms of graft function and patient survival compared to cadaver donation KTx. Therefore, living donation KTx allows an optimal alternative to expand the organ pool. The aim of our study is to present the long-term results of our living donation KTx program regarding graft function and patient survival. Finally, the risks of living donation KTx will be discussed based on the reported experiences of other centers.