Incision
A small incision is made in the abdomen, either to the left or right side of the bellybutton, depending on which side the surgeons have decided to place the kidney. There is no evidence that indicates one side is better than the other.
Placement
The new kidney will be introduced through the incision. Your two natural kidneys will typically remain intact because they may still retain some useful functionality. Removing them would require additional incisions into the abdomen, adding an unnecessary risk. However, if you have malignant tumors or an infection, one or both kidneys may need to be removed.
Vessel Attachment
The renal artery (brings blood to the kidney) will be connected to the external iliac artery.
The renal vein (takes blood back to the heart) will be connected to the external iliac vein.
The ureter (drains urine from the kidney into the bladder) will be attached to the bladder.
Finally, the surgeons will place a drain in the area surrounding your kidney. This is called a Jackson-Pratt, and is necessary to draw excess fluid that accumulates as the body recovers from surgery. These drains will be removed at our clinic once you've healed sufficiently.
The kidney will almost immediately begin working, slowly at first, and picking up more function over the course of a few days. The surgical team will measure its urinary output through the Foley catheter to ensure the procedure was successful.
The operation takes about three hours. The surgical team will suture the incision, and then proceed to take the patient off general anesthesia in preparation to place him under postoperative care.