Living Donor Renal Transplant After Ex Vivo Partial Nephrectomy for Incidentally Detected Small Renal Mass: A Case Series.

Objectives: Because of the risk of tumor implantation, a kidney with a small renal mass is not accepted as a donor in the kidney transplant program. Here, we evaluated the long-term outcomes of transplantation of kidneys with small renal mass.

Materials and methods: We reviewed 14 donors who had been incidentally diagnosed with a small renal mass during standard donor evaluation. All donors underwent laparoscopic donor nephrectomy followed by bench resection of the mass. The negative margins were confirmed on the frozen section.

Results: On histopathological examination, 6 masses were reported as renal cell carcinoma, 4 were angiomyolipomas, 2 were oncocytoma, and 2 were papillary adenoma. After a median follow-up of 30 months, no recurrences were shown in the recipients. All recipients showed stable graft function.

Conclusions: When no other donor is available, a kidney with a small renal mass can be considered for living related kidney transplant. Bench excision of the mass was oncologically safe, with recipients having good long-term outcomes.