Doctors remove the donated kidney of a woman via her vagina.
WiredPRNews.com – In an unusual surgical procedure, a woman’s kidney was removed through her vagina so that it could be given to her niece. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine surgeons performed the surgery Thursday, and expressed hope that the method might encourage other individuals to donate.
Transvaginal kidney removal is said to cause less pain and scarring, and warrant less recovery time than conventional kidney removal surgery. The type of surgery has previously been performed to remove nonfunctioning or diseased kidneys or other organs, but medical professionals suggest that this might be the first case of it being used for kidney donation.
Donor Kimberly Johnson is quoted as stating of the surgery, “It was easier than childbirth.” However, doctors note that some risks can occur with these types of procedures. Dr. Robert Montgomery, who led the surgery team, is quoted in the AP report as stating, “There is the risk of infection having the kidney passing through a contaminated area and then going to another patient who is immunocompromised… That is the concern we have and we would like to monitor the outcome in that regard.”
Both Johnson and her niece, Jennifer Gilbert are stated to be recovering well from their operations.
