J Med Assoc Thai Vol. 95 Suppl. 11 2012 S15 Correspondence to: Sirithanaphol W, Surgical Department, Srinagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand. Phone: 08-1544-6234 E-mail: wichsir@kku.ac.th J Med Assoc Thai 2012; 95 (Suppl. 11): S15-S17 Full text. e-Journal: http://jmat.mat.or.th Quality of Life after Donor Nephrectomy for Living Donor Kidney Transplantation at Srinagarind Hospital Warakorn Jaseanchiun MD*, Wichien Sirithanaphol MD*, Ekkarin Chotikawanich MD*, Siri Chau-in MD*, Kachit Pacheerat MD*, Thongueb Uttaravichien MD*, * Department of Surgery, Srinagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand Objective: To determine the quality of life (QoL) of donors who have undergone nephrectomy for living donor kidney transplantation at Srinagarind Hospital, using the Thai version of the Short-Form, 36-item, health survey (SF-36). Material and Method: The SF-36 questionnaires were sent by mail to 93 living donors who underwent nephrectomy between Jan 1, 1990 and Dec 31, 2008. The first part collected demographic data and the donor/recipient relationship, the second surveyed QoL, and the third asked about decision-making, donation-related stress and feedback. Results: Forty-nine questionnaires were returned completed (30 women; 19 men: mean age 44.2 + 9.5 (range, 28-65) years). Thirty-one participants (61%) were siblings of the recipients. The QoL scores were not significantly different from the general Thai population; albeit nominally higher for mental health and social function. Upon reflection, only 5 (10%) had second thoughts. Conclusion: Donor nephrectomy did not affect QoL; thus,from that perspective living kidney transplantation is a suitable procedure for donors. Keywords: QoL, Renal transplantation, SF-36 Kidney transplantation is currently the best treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease. The limitation of cadaveric kidneys for transplantation is the long waiting time for a healthy, matched organ. Living donors,therefore,is a rescue for these patients. Many reports stated that living kidney donor surgery appears to be safe, with both low morbidity and mortality (1-3) . The short-form, 36-item, health survey (SF- 36) is a standardized questionnaire for measuring quality of life (QoL) (4) . Johnson et al (5) utilized the SF- 36 for the multivariate analysis and discovered that most living donors enjoyed an excellent QoL. Here in, the authors use the SF-36 questionnaire to survey the QoL of kidney donors to assess any psychological and sociological sequelae after kidney donation. Material and Method A total of 93 living donors underwent nephrectomy at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, between January 1, 1990 and December 31, 2008. The questionnaires were sent to the kidney donors by post-mail. The questionnaire contained three parts: (1) demographic data and relationship between the donor and recipient; (2) the SF-36 health survey to determine QoL; and, (3) decision-making vis-a-vis (i.e., second thoughts and/or reservations), donation-related stress and feedback. No. of donors 48 Males 18 Females (%) 30 Age, mean (yr) 44.2 (28-65) Education Completed primary school 19 High school 10 Bachelor degree 19 Relation to recipient Sibling 31 Parent 3 Offspring 8 Spouse 6 Table 1. Donor characteristics