Comparison between a novel Super-Minimal Incision Kidney Transplantation and conventional Gibson incision kidney transplantation

Objective To evaluate the safety of super-minimal incision kidney transplantation (SMIKT). Methods We included the clinical data and outcomes of 40 cases of SMIKT and 56 cases of conventional Gibson incision kidney transplantation (CIKT), and compared the operation time, post-operative pain, analgesic requirements, 1-month renal function and 1-month Vancouver scar scale between the two groups. Results As compared with CIKT, operation time was significantly shortened (100±10 versus 127.5±34.3 min, P=0.044), incision length was significantly shortened (5.2±0.2 versus 13.0±2.0 cm, P<0.001), and post-operative pain at day 1 was significantly reduced in SMIKT (1.31±1.15 versus 4.02±1.83, P=0.004). However, there was no significant difference in post-operative pain at day 2 and day 3 between CIKT and SMIKT. SMIKT required less analgesic medications than CIKT (3.13±1.74 versus 11.69±2.89, P=0.002). No significant difference in 1-month renal function was observed between two groups. SMIKT had fewer Vancouver scar scale score than CIKT (6.50±0.58 versus 8.67±0.58, P=0.004). Conclusion SMIKT is a safe novel surgery, which can significantly reduce operation time, post-operative pain, had fewer analgesic requirements and better 1-month cosmetic effect. Key words: super-minimal incision; Gibson incision; kidney transplantation