The kidney is placed in the side of the pelvis, an area located in the lower abdomen just above the hip bone. The tube that conducts urine from the transplanted kidney to the bladder, called the ureter, is attached to the recipient s bladder. Within the pelvis, the artery bringing blood to the kidney is connected to the artery that carries blood to the leg. Similarly, the vein that carries blood away from the kidney is connected to the vein that brings blood back from the leg. The patient will spend an average of three hours to four hours in the operating room.
Time depends on complexity of the kidney anatomy as well as that of the patient.
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