Kidney Remaining After Donor Nephrectomy Increases in Size

Following nephrectomy, living kidney donors experience an immediate increment in renal parenchymal volume (RPV) in the remaining kidney, Chinese researchers reported in International Urology and Nephrology (2014;46:743-747).

In a study of 45 living kidney donors, researchers use magnetic resonance imaging to measure the size of the non-transplanted kidney before surgery and 3 and 7 days post-operatively. The RPV of the remaining kidney was 118 cm³ before nephrectomy.

It increased in size by 21.23% to 143.13 cm³ at 3 days and by 24.17% to 146.60 cm³ at 7 days. The RPV at 7 days was directly related to its initial preoperative size. Results also showed that kidneys with a 20% or greater increase in RPV after 7 days are more likely to show a further significant increase in glomerular filtration rate at 1 year.

From the May 01, 2014 Issue of Renal and Urology News