Canadian Journal of Kidney Health and Disease · Published 2026-07-01 · DOI 10.1177/20543581261468718
Amit. X. Garg, Anita Lloyd, Liane S. Feldman, Rhiannon Lyons, Eric McArthur, Mauricio Monroy-Cuadros, Kyla L. Naylor, Chris Nguan, Robert R. Quinn, Pietro Ravani, Alp Sener, Jessica M. Sontrop, Carol Wang, Matthew A. Weir, Ngan N. Lam
Background An underappreciated complication of laparoscopic nephrectomy in male living kidney donors is testicular pain, swelling, and hydrocele development. A recent cohort study in Ontario, Canada, found that male donors had a higher rate of hydrocelectomy (7.7 vs. 0.1 events/1000 person-years) and scrotal ultrasounds (25.6 vs. 6.9 events/1000 person-years) than nondonors, when followed for a median of 9 years. Objective To conduct a replication study in Alberta, Canada, examining the long-term risk of hydrocelectomy after laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy, comparing male donors to nondonors from the general population matched on baseline health indicators. Design Population-based matched cohort study using linked healthcare databases. Setting Alberta, Canada (April 1, 2002, to March 31, 2021). Patients We matched 115 male kidney donors who underwent a laparoscopic nephrectomy with 1150 nondonors. The matching characteristics were age at cohort entry, date of cohort entry, rural residence, income, prior vasectomy, and prior inguinal hernia repair. Measure ments: The primary outcome was a hydrocelectomy, and the secondary outcome was receipt of a scrotal ultrasound. Methods Males were followed for a median of eight years, with a maximum follow-up of 19 years. Results The rate of hydrocelectomy was higher in donors than in nondonors (3 of 115 [2.6%] vs. 1 of 1150 [0.1%]; 3.3 vs. 0.1 events/1000 person-years; P < 0.001). The rate of scrotal ultrasounds was also higher among donors than among nondonors (23.4 vs. 7.5 events/1000 person-years; P < 0.001). Limitations A low event rate impeded a precise estimation of the risk of hydrocelectomy attributable to donation. Conclusions In this population-based cohort study from Alberta, Canada, rates of hydrocelectomy and receipt of a scrotal ultrasound were significantly higher in males who underwent laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy than in male nondonors matched for age and other factors. Males considering living kidney donation should be informed of the risk of developing a symptomatic ipsilateral scrotal hydrocele in the years following laparoscopic nephrectomy.
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Garg, A., Lloyd, A., Feldman, L., et al. (2026). Long-Term Risk for Scrotal Hydrocelectomy After Laparoscopic Living Donor Nephrectomy: A Population-Based Matched Cohort Study. Canadian Journal of Kidney Health and Disease. https://doi.org/10.1177/20543581261468718