Organ Donation?

Question

Just curious,

If you donate an organ while your still alive. to like a family member.

Say you donate a kidney. Do the doctors replace the space with a saline bag or something? To fill the gap?

If not, will the other organs move around?

Answer 1

In the belly (and retroperitoneal space, where kidneys live), everything is sort of squished together.  When something is taken out, everything squishes in to fill the space.

The chest is different, because the ribs and spine form a cage that really doesn't change too much.  If a lung is removed, the remaining lung and heart may move a little bit, but the empty space there will fill with fluid.

Here's a picture:

http://www.learningradiology.com/caseofw...

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

Nope, the body gets used to the space after a while. My father has terminal liver cancer and I may have to be a live donor, which means donating a third of my liver and the two livers grow to full size, the body is an amazing thing, it adjusts to new changes pretty well most of the time. And as for the kidney, because you can live without one they just remove it and thats it, some like liver transplants from live honors are a lot more complicated.

Answer 3

No, they don't fill in the gap...the body will gradually adjust to the change inside.......all the other organs will not move around.............each one is in their place held by connective tissues.