CLEVELAND (AP) -- Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic have pioneered a new form of kidney surgery that they hope will boost the number of donors.
It involves a single incision in the bellybutton which reduces the recovery time for the donor and leaves almost no scar.
They've successfully performed the procedure 10 times so far and plan an 11th operation today.
Preliminary data shows donors can go back to work in just 17 days compared to the usual 51. And they're fully recovered in just one month, instead of three.
One doctor says the procedure needs more study to prove it has a benefit other than cosmetic. But 36-year-old Chanda Calentine of New York City is ready to go today. She's donating a kidney to her 39-year-old uncle, Scott Bolender. He's had to undergo lifesaving dialysis treatments since 2005 and hasn't been able to work.
Calentine says she'd be glad to help, even if it did mean a scar, noting she's already bought a one-piece bathing suit.
On the Net:
Cleveland Clinic: http://my.clevelandclinic.org
Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network: http://www.optn.org
