Quality of Life Following Laparoscopic Living-Donor Nephrectomy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study compares donor quality of life (QOL) with extirpative (simple or radical) patients' QOL after laparoscopic nephrectomy and analyzes factors predictive of mental QOL for donors. METHODS: One hundred one donors and 48 extirpative laparoscopic nephrectomy patients filled out the SF-36v2 form at pre- and postoperative visits, and scores were transformed to norm-based. Donor characteristics were collected and analyzed using univariate analysis. RESULTS: Donor patients had a decline in the mental summary at all time points that became significant at 7 months (–2.9), whereas extirpative patients trended positive at 7 months (+2.6). Both groups had a significant decline in the physical summary at 1 month, which rebounded by 4 months. Female gender, positive social/psychiatric history, and major graft recipient complications were all significant predictors of a decline in mental health at 1 month. CONCLUSION: Compared with patients who undergo extirpative surgery, kidney donors have significant mental stress associated with donation that persists beyond the postoperative period. Better preoperative counseling and postoperative monitoring might lead to better outcomes, especially for those in high-risk groups.