Venous vascular reconstruction of a robotically procured right kidney with two renal veins transplanted into a pediatric recipient

Abstract

BackgroundRight versus left kidney donor nephrectomy remains a controversial topic in renal transplantation given the increased incidence of right kidney vascular anomalies and associated venous thrombosis. We present the case of a 3‐year‐old pediatric recipient with urethral atresia and end‐stage kidney disease who received a robotically procured living donor right pelvic kidney with two short same‐size renal veins and a short ureter.MethodsWe utilized a completely deceased iliac vein system (common iliac vein with both external and internal veins) to extend the two renal veins. Due to the distance between both renal veins, the external iliac vein was anastomosed to the upper hilum renal vein, and the internal iliac vein was anastomosed to the lower hilum renal vein. The donor's short ureter was anastomosed to the recipient's ureter end‐to‐side.ResultsThe patient had immediate graft function and there were no post‐operative complications. Renal ultrasound was unremarkable at 48 hours post‐transplant. Serum creatinine was 0.5 mg/dL at 3 months post‐transplant.ConclusionWe demonstrate the successful transplantation of a robotically procured right pelvic donor kidney with two short renal veins using a deceased donor iliac vein system for venous reconstruction without increasing technical complications. This technique of venous reconstruction can be used in right kidneys with similar anatomical variations without affecting graft function.