In Italy, living-related kidney living are governed by law 458 of June 26, 1967. This therapeutic approach is a valid alternative to cadaveric kidney transplant, and allows for partial compensation of organ shortage. The living donor can be a close relative of the recipient (brother, sister, mother, father) or, in particular cases, be linked by other relationships (wife/husband, fiancée/fiancé, friend).

Before the transplant, according to the case, the legitimacy of the living donation is examined by the competent judicial body, which takes into account the positive judgment of a medical committee, ascertains the spontaneity of the donor's gesture and, in the end, grants permission to proceed.

The medical team's task is to assess the compatibility between donor and recipient and the patient's eligibility for transplant, and to verify the good health conditions of the donor. All clinical tests can be performed during simple OPC consults or day-hospital admissions.

The date for the surgery is established by the medical team and agreed upon with donor and recipient. In a living donor transplant, the surgery can be performed when the recipient of the organ is in the best possible clinical conditions. This leads to better post-operative results than in a transplant with an organ procured from a cadaveric donor, since this is performed in emergency conditions, when an organ is available.

Kidney procurement surgery from the donor lasts approximately 2 hours. After the procurement, the patient who has donated the organ is moved to the post-anesthesia unit to be assisted, while the surgical team performs the transplant on the recipient. The donor is generally discharged from ISMETT two days after the procedure, and can go back to a normal life in no longer than the following four weeks.