Types of Living Donor Surgery

Different types of living donor kidney transplant include:

Directed Donation

The donor naming a specific recipient is the most common type of living donation. The donor may be:

• Biologically related, such as a parent, brother, sister or adult child

• Unrelated but has a personal or social connection, like being a friend or knowing a spouse or co-worker

• Unrelated and little connection, but learned of the recipient's need

Non-directed Donation

Here, the donor doesn't specifically name the recipient; the match is based on medical compatibility. Sometimes non-directed donors and recipients choose not to meet each other. However, they may meet if they both agree, and the transplant center policy permits it.

Paired Kidney Exchange (PKE)

If a transplant candidate has a donor whose kidney is not a good match, paired kidney exchange may be an option.

In this type, one recipient's donor gives a kidney to another recipient and in return receives the other recipient's donor's kidney.