Health Library

Kidney transplant - series

Normal anatomy

The kidneys are paired organs that lie posterior to the abdomen, in the area of the lower back. The kidneys make urine, which is transported from the kidneys to the bladder by the ureters, long muscular tubes which connect the kidneys with the bladder.

Indications

Kidney transplant may be recommended for patients with kidney failure caused by:

• Severe, uncontrollable high blood pressure (hypertension)
• Infections
• Diabetes mellitus
• Congenital abnormalities of the kidneys
• Other diseases which cause renal failure, such as autoimmune disease

Donor kidneys are obtained from either brain-dead organ donors, or from living relatives or friends of the recipient.

Incision

While the patient is deep asleep and pain-free (general anesthesia), an incision is made in the lower right quadrant of the abdomen. The donor kidney is transplanted into the right lower pelvis of the recipient.

Procedure

The new kidney is sutured into place. The vessels of the new kidney are connected to the vessels leading to the right leg (the iliac vessels), and the ureter is sutured to the bladder.

Aftercare

In most cases, the recipient's native kidneys are left in place, and the transplanted kidney performs all the functions that both kidneys perform in healthy people. Kidney transplant recipients are required to take immunosuppressive medications for the rest of the lives, to prevent immune rejection of the transplanted organ.

Review Date: 4/1/2025  

Reviewed By: Kelly L. Stratton, MD, FACS, Associate Professor, Department of Urology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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