Kidney autotransplantation removes your kidney, repairs it outside your body if needed, and reimplants it in a new site — usually the pelvis — so you keep your own kidney without ever needing anti-rejection medicine.
Long-standing kidney pain and bleeding that hasn't responded to medication (loin pain–hematuria syndrome), Nutcracker syndrome, a renal artery aneurysm or other vascular problem that can't be fixed with a stent, a badly damaged ureter, or a tumour in your only working kidney.
Bleeding, infection, and problems with the reconnected blood vessels or ureter. Risks are minimised by careful patient selection and experienced teams.
Standard blood work, imaging of the kidney and its blood vessels, an anaesthesia consultation, and fasting per protocol before surgery.
Scheduled clinic visits at about 2–3 weeks (stent removal), then 1, 4 and 12 weeks; long-term monitoring of kidney function and pain relief.
Kidney autotransplantation (also called renal autotransplantation) is a specialized surgery reserved for a small number of complex kidney problems that can’t be fixed with the kidney left in its normal position. Surgeons remove the affected kidney, and — if it needs vascular or ureteral repair — work on it on a „back table” using cold preservation, much like preparing an organ for a standard transplant. The repaired kidney is then reimplanted, typically into the pelvis near the iliac blood vessels and bladder, and the ureter is reconnected. A kidney transplant from a donor and a kidney autotransplant use a similar surgical technique, but they are not the same procedure: a donor transplant needs lifelong immunosuppression to prevent rejection, while an autotransplant does not, because your immune system already recognizes the kidney as yours (Penn Medicine; University of Colorado). It’s a rare operation, performed at a limited number of specialized centers, most often by a multidisciplinary team of transplant surgeons, urologists, interventional radiologists and nephrologists working together (UCHealth).
Watch for patterns like these, which your care team weighs together with your test results — no single symptom on its own means you need this surgery:
These are the conditions linked to this treatment in the directory. Your clinician decides whether treatment is appropriate using your symptoms, examination and test results.
Remember: These entries are not a diagnosis or a treatment recommendation. Discuss your symptoms and test results with a qualified clinician.
A single episode of flank pain usually isn’t cause for alarm — most kidney pain has a simpler explanation, and a blood or urine test can often point your doctor in the right direction early on. But if the pain keeps coming back, doesn’t ease with the usual treatments, or comes with visible blood in your urine, it’s worth getting checked rather than waiting it out. Use our find a specialist tool to connect with a nephrologist or urologist who can review your symptoms and test results and tell you whether autotransplantation — or a simpler option — is right for you.
Kidney autotransplantation is done under general anesthesia and usually takes several hours. The exact steps depend on why you need it, but a typical sequence looks like this:
This surgery exists to save a kidney that would otherwise be removed or left to fail — and that shapes everything it offers.
The treatment has risks and trade-offs to discuss with your care team. The information below comes from this treatment’s data: bleeding, infection, vascular access issues. Risks are minimised by careful patient selection and experienced teams.
Who it may not suit: These are general cautions, not a personal verdict. A qualified clinician must assess your full medical picture before recommending or delaying treatment.
In hospital (days 0–7). After surgery, you’ll be monitored closely for how well the repositioned kidney is working — through urine output, blood tests and imaging — and for signs of bleeding or infection. Most people are in the hospital for about three to seven days (UCHealth; UW Health).
First few weeks at home. You’ll need to stay near the treatment center for follow-up visits and have someone available to help you around the clock until your first post-surgery check, usually about two to three weeks out. That visit typically includes lab work and removal of the ureteral stent placed during surgery (UW Health).
Weeks to months. Most people gradually return to normal activity over several weeks to a few months, with continued follow-up testing to confirm the kidney is working well and pain (if that was the reason for surgery) is improving.
Most recoveries go smoothly, but contact your care team promptly if you notice:
A minority of people need a second procedure during recovery — for example, to treat a ureteral stricture — even after a technically successful operation. This doesn’t necessarily mean the autotransplant failed; it’s part of why close follow-up matters in the weeks after surgery. This is general guidance, not a substitute for your care team’s specific instructions.
New or severe symptoms require prompt medical advice. Do not wait for a routine appointment if you feel seriously unwell.
Recovery from kidney autotransplantation happens in three stages. In the hospital, your team watches urine output, blood tests and imaging to confirm the kidney is working and there’s no bleeding or infection — typically three to seven days. Once home, you’ll stay near the treatment center for close follow-up, with someone available around the clock, until your first check at about two to three weeks, when the ureteral stent is usually removed. Over the following weeks to months, most people gradually return to normal activity, with repeat testing to confirm the kidney’s function and, where pain was the reason for surgery, that it’s easing. Full recovery timelines vary by age, overall health, and whether surgery was open or minimally invasive.
Specialists linked to this treatment in the KidneyGlobal directory. Review credentials and confirm availability directly before booking.
Verified kidney centres linked to this treatment in the KidneyGlobal directory.
No. A kidney transplant uses a donor organ and requires lifelong immunosuppression. In an autotransplant, surgeons move and repair your own kidney, so rejection isn't a concern (Penn Medicine).
It's uncommon. Most published experience comes from small case series at specialized centers rather than large trials, because the conditions it treats are themselves rare.
If your other kidney is healthy, yes — autotransplantation moves and repairs one kidney; it doesn't remove your second kidney (UCHealth).
Many people get substantial pain relief, and some published series report high improvement rates in carefully selected patients, but outcomes vary by diagnosis and center. Talk to your surgical team about what's realistic for your case.
Most people stay about three to seven days so the team can confirm the kidney is working well and watch for bleeding or infection (UCHealth; UW Health).
Most people gradually return to their normal activities over weeks to a few months. Long-term outlook depends on the reason for surgery and your overall kidney health — ask your surgical team what to expect in your case.
