COMPARISON OF PERIOPERATIVE OUTCOMES IN YOUNG AND GERIATRIC LIVING KIDNEY DONORS: A SINGLE-CENTER RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Introduction: Expanding the living kidney donor pool has increased interest in evaluating geriatric individuals (≥60 years) as potential donors. Concerns regarding age-related comorbidities and perioperative risks have historically limited the use of older donors. This study aimed to compare perioperative outcomes between geriatric and young living kidney donors. Materials and Method: Data from donors who underwent laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy at a single tertiary center between June 2018 and December 2024 were retrospectively reviewed. Donors were divided into two groups according to age: a Geriatric Group (≥60 years, n=29) and a Young Group (≤40 years, n=100). Donors aged 41–59 years were excluded by design to maximize between-group contrast. Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, perioperative morbidity parameters, length of hospital stay, and recipient outcomes were compared. Missing BMI data (32.5%) were handled by multiple imputation using Rubin’s rules. Results: The mean age was 65.4±5.5 years in the geriatric group and 29.9±5.5 years in the young group (p