What Is a Kidney Transplant?
Today, Turkey’s private hospitals offer the most advanced medical treatments and technology available in the world. Turkey is among the top three countries of the world in kidney and liver transplants from live donors. Kidney related diseases can be life threatening and it requires a proper diagnosis and treatment at a qualified hospital. Our associate hospitals offer multidisciplinary and individualized diagnostic and treatment services for patients with all kinds of renal diseases. Kidney transplantation is a proven lifesaving treatment option for patients with kidney failure.
Kidneys are pair of bean-shaped organs located below the rib cage, on both side of the spine. The kidneys are one of the very important organs in the body. The main function of the kidneys is to filter and remove excess waste, minerals and fluid from the blood. They are filters of the body. They are also responsible for getting rid of drugs, and toxins in the bloodstream by producing urine. If the kidneys fail to function, renal failure occurs and the level of harmful waste, fluids and toxins in the body start increasing.
Treatment options for the patients with kidney failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are lifetime of dialysis or kidney transplant. Dialysis cannot replace all functions of the kidneys. kidney transplant is the best treatment option for the patients who are suffering from end-stage renal disease.Kidney transplant is a surgical procedure of replacing the diseased kidney with a healthy kidney from a deceased or live donor. It is recommended only if the kidneys have lost more than 90% of their function and when it cannot be managed medically.
Kidney Transplant for Adult and Childrens
Organ transplant surgeons in our exclusive network are among the Turkey’s most successful providers of kidney transplant for adults and children. During a transplant, the surgeon places the new kidney in anterior part of the lower abdomen, in the pelvis and connects the artery and vein to the new kidney. The artery carries blood to the kidney and the vein carries blood away. The transplanted new kidney starts to work when blood starts flowing through it. The ureter is connected to the bladder. Usually operation takes around 4 hours. After the surgery requires 7 days of hospital stay. After a successful kidney transplant, the new kidney will start to filter the blood, and patients will no longer need dialysis. Our organ transplant surgeons have had between 20 – 40 years’ experience in their field.
Living kidney donor in Turkey
In Turkey, the living donor can be only a family member or relative up to the 4th degree who is willing to give you one of their healthy kidneys. If your family member’s blood and tissues match with your blood and tissues, we can schedule a planned donation for you. Receiving a kidney from a family member reduces the risk of rejection of the new kidney.
All living donor kidney donor surgeries are performed with full laparoscopic technique routinely. Our center makes a difference with combined organ transplants (liver-kidney, kidney-pancreas transplant) in patients who need more than one organ transplant as well as simultaneous kidney transplant-native nephrectomy, liver transplant-CABG or liver transplantation -sleeve gastrectomy operations.
Procedures such as interventional radiological vascular / non-vascular procedures, endoscopy, endo-sonography and ERCP are performed by the relevant physicians in our hospital in order to solve complications that develop after organ transplant surgeries. Early postoperative follow-up of pediatric transplant patients, for whom all problems are solved by pediatric nephrology, pediatric gastroenterology and other subspecialists, are also carried out in the largest and most comprehensive pediatric intensive care unit of Istanbul within our institution.
Procedures of left laparoscopic donor nephrectomy case with four renal arteries
Renal vessels clearly determined on CT angiography
• Careful hilary dissection with full laparoscopic technique
• Transection of renal arteries with vascular stapler first
• Renal vein transection with a separate vascular stapler
• Removal of the kidney through the incision prepared in the groin after dissection is completed
• Back table procedure
• Urine output after perfusing four renal arteries one by one into the recipient’s left iliac artery.
Success rate of kidney transplantation in Turkey
Turkey is world renowned for providing successful organ transplantation. The success rate of kidney transplant in Turkey is above world averages. It is %98 patient survival rate and more than %95 organ survival rate. Survival rate for patients who had a kidney transplant is 98% one year post-transplant, 96,7% three years after transplant. It is 95,1% one year post-transplant, %79,8 three years after transplant in USA.
Kidney Transplantation Centers at our associate hospitals are ready to meet the needs of our adult and child patients considering a kidney transplant. We are providing our patients with the same level of compassionate service we would wish for ourselves and for our loved ones.