Department Name

With more than 78,000 Americans awaiting a kidney transplant, John Grove of Ohio recently gave his cousin a most generous gift: his kidney.

On Oct. 28 at Shands at UF, Grove's kidney was transplanted to Barbara Doran of Ocala. While living donor kidneys are usually taken laparoscopically, the procedure used in this case was even less invasive. For the first time at Shands at UF, a UF transplant surgeon, Joseph Magliocca, M.D., removed a kidney via the navel. The navel method uses only one to two port openings (small incisions through which laparoscopic instruments are inserted) and a navel incision, eliminating the need for two additional port incisions and a lower abdominal cut typically used in the standard laparoscopic method.

"Our ultimate goal is to eliminate the barriers to live kidney donation that some people may perceive," said Magliocca, an assistant professor of surgery. "This procedure makes the final result more cosmetically appealing and may motivate some patients to donate. With the number of patients on the kidney transplant waiting list growing far more rapidly than the number of deceased donors, every live kidney donor can make an impact on the lives of many people."

Magliocca added that while this is still a major operation and the technique may not be appropriate for all patients, it could encourage some potential donors to move forward and donate a kidney to a loved one.

For more information about being a live kidney donor visit www.shands.org.