Live Donor Evaluation

Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for chronic kidney disease (CKD), and it offers better quality of life and improved survival of patients. The demand for renal transplantation has increased due to the growing prevalence of CKD and extension of the criteria for accepting patients onto the waiting list. In response to the increasing need for organs, living kidney transplant is expanded in several countries. The transplantation from a living donor has better clinical results than the transplantation from deceased donor. It is important that before donation, the potential live kidney donors must receive a complete medical and psychosocial evaluation to ensure their safety. Potential donors are evaluated meticulously and repeatedly to confirm excellent general health and bilateral normal renal function. In this chapter the major issues in the evaluation process of living kidney donation are described. It examines the absolute and relative contraindications and some of the key issues related to the selection and risks for donors.