Types of Kidney (Renal) Transplants

There are three types of renal transplants:

• Living Related Renal Transplantation
• Living Unrelated Renal Transplantation
• Deceased Donor Renal Transplantation
• Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy
• Transplantation for High-Risk Patients
• Paired Exchange

Living Related Renal Transplantation

A living-related renal transplant is a kidney transplant from a genetic relative, such as a brother, sister, parent, child, niece, nephew, aunt, uncle, or cousin. These transplants typically last the longest since the donor and recipient are related (especially siblings).

Living Unrelated Renal Transplantation

A living unrelated renal transplant is a kidney transplant from a donor who does not share genetic material with the recipient. This can include a spouse, an in-law, a friend, or an unknown or altruistic donor. These transplants typically last longer than deceased donor transplants and about as long as living-related renal transplants.

Deceased Donor Renal Transplantation

A deceased donor renal transplant is one in which the kidney is taken from someone who is recently deceased. Patients waiting for this type of kidney are on the Lahey Clinic cadaveric renal transplant list. The average wait for a kidney is now four years or longer. In light of this long wait, and the fact that living transplants last longer, we view living donor transplants as the most attractive option.

Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy

This minimally invasive surgery requires smaller incisions and generally offers a more rapid recovery and shorter hospitalization time than traditional open procedures. Our laparoscopic donor nephrectomy team, headed by Dr. Ingolf Tuerk, has performed the procedure more than 100 times.

Transplantation for High-Risk Patients

The Lahey Clinic Kidney Transplant team takes a multifaceted approach to the treatment of high-risk transplant patients. Our team is highly skilled in caring for patients with complex urologic disorders, and we offer a special program for antibody desensitization, thus maximizing the transplant potential of all patients.

Paired Exchange

Lahey Clinic offers a paired exchange program, whereby two incompatible donor/recipient pairs are matched up with each other in order to make two compatible donor/recipient pairs.

Success Rates

Nationally, the survival rate for living donor kidney transplants is about 95 percent after one year, and greater than 85 percent for deceased donor transplants after one year.

While the need for kidneys continues to increase, the number of available deceased donor organs remains relatively unchanged.

See data on the numbers of living and deceased donors from 1995 to 2004.