Reserved for people with end-stage renal failure, kidney transplantation is that delicate surgical procedure by which one of the two original kidneys is replaced by another healthy one, coming from a compatible donor.
In general, the "new" kidney is taken from a recently deceased donor ; however, there is also the possibility of taking a kidney from a consenting living subject .
Usually, living donors are direct family members, but they could also be volunteers completely unrelated to the recipient.
INDICATIONS
The pathological conditions that most commonly can induce end-stage renal failure are:- Diabetes mellitus . In the United States, it is the leading cause of kidney transplants. In fact, according to American statistics, about 25% of the procedures would be aimed at patients with this condition
- Segmental and focal glomerulosclerosis . It is a disease characterized by the appearance of scar tissue, not functional, at the level of the glomeruli. The glomeruli are anatomically important portions of the kidneys
- The polycystic kidney
- Malignant hypertension
- Some autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus
ADVANTAGES
According to the doctors, kidney transplantation is one of the easiest transplant operations to perform and with various comforts.Indeed:
- The kidney is an organ that is easy to remove and reinsert into another person. The same cannot be said, for example, of the liver or the lungs.
- If his health is optimal, the living donor runs little danger .
- It is possible to live normally even with a kidney only . This applies to both donor and recipient.
- In case of failure of the transplant, the recipient can resort to dialysis, in fact a mechanical device that replaces, from the functional point of view, the kidneys.
In contrast, an organ such as the liver, for example, cannot be replaced with any other artificial / mechanical device.
- With adequate anti-rejection therapy, even kidneys from incompatible donors can be transplanted.
