Short and Midterm Results of Internal Jugular Vein Extension for Short Right Renal Vein Kidney Transplant

Renal transplantation remains the definitive treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The shorter renal vein in right donor nephrectomies is associated with higher incidence of technical failure. We present here our experience with autologous internal jugular vein (IJV) conduits to facilitate living-donor transplants. Six patients underwent right, living-donor kidney transplant with simultaneous IJV harvest over a 1-year period. All had bilateral jugular duplex scans preoperatively and were placed on aspirin 81 mg postoperatively. Patient demographics, comorbidities, and laboratories were retrospectively queried. Postoperative follow-up and examination were performed per institutional protocol. The mean age and BMI were 51 +/- 4.6 years and 30 +/- 1.4 kg/m(2), respectively. An average 4.5 +/- 0.5 cm of IJV was taken, and anastomosed exsitu, end to end to the renal vein. One patient developed a perinephric hematoma requiring reexploration and another expired during follow-up from septic shock of unknown etiology: there were no harvest site complications or deep vein thrombosis. All had immediate and stable graft function at 3.8 +/- 1.7 (range: 0.741.3) months follow-up. Mean serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate were 1.3 +/- 0.1 mg/dL and 55 +/- 2.4 mL/min/1.73 m(2), respectively. Internal jugular vein extension of short right renal veins for kidney transplant is a viable technique for ESRD patients with promising results.