In spite of increasing donation from the brain dead(BD)donors, the non-heart beating(NHB) donor is still main source of kidney transplantation in Japan. In our facilities 45 cases of kidney transplantation from the NHB donors and 17 cases from the BD donors have been performed since 2004. The delayed graft function rate was higher on NHB donor transplants than in BD donor kidneys(97.3％ vs. 41.2％). Graft function estimated by serum creatinine levels at 1, 3, 6, 12 months was significantly better in the BD donor group. In our study graft function was better in the BD donor group. However, many kidneys from the NHB donors were functioning well. Therefore, NHB donors still should be considered as a viable source of kidneys for transplantation.
