Dr. Inderbir S. Gill and colleagues believe that since the procedure has a reduced recovery time, it will encourage more donors to donate kidney.
Only 11 of these procedures have taken place through single-incision navel procedure. Preliminary data from the first nine procedures show recovery in less than a month. The time on pain medication was also reduced from 26 to four days and donors can go back to work in just 17 days compared to the usual 51.
Donors are fully recovered in just one month, instead of three. The first four will be part of a report in the August Journal of Urology.
The new surgery is not considered suitable for those who had multiple major abdominal surgeries or who are obese.
More than 80,000 Americans are awaiting kidney transplants.
