Serum cystatin C performs similarly to traditional markers of kidney function in the evaluation of donor kidney function prior to and following unilateral nephrectomy

摘要

Background and objectives. It is essential that candidates for kidney donation be carefully screened to ensure safety of donation and monitored following unilateral nephrectomy as previous experience has demonstrated loss of kidney function of up to 50% following donation. The low-molecular-weight protein cystatin C (cysC) has been introduced as an alternative to serum creatinine for estimation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR). In particular, serum cysC is sensitive to detect mild GFR reduction between 60 and 90 ml/min/1.73 m2 that would make it a potentially effective screening and monitoring test in live kidney donors.