Cadaveric kidney transplantation in Iran: behind the Middle Eastern countries?

In the Middle East, transplantation practice was started in 1967 by the first kidney transplantation in Iran.1 However, it did not reach to a routine practice until the second half of the 80 decade, when appropriate legislations were enacted in most countries in the region. At present, kidney transplantation is active in most countries in the region including Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Qatar, Oman, Turkey, and Iran. Kidney transplantation is also limitedly done in Yemen, Algeria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.2 Cadaveric transplantation, however, is not well established in the region. Egypt has no legislation for organ procurement from deceased donors; hence, out of 3000 kidney transplant procedures performed in this country, there were just 4 kidney transplantations from deceased donors. All the allografts in Algeria and Tunisia, with limited experience though, have come from living donors.2 Organ procurement in Iran is carried out from deceased and living donors; however, the practice in this country is mainly known by its governmental regulated and compensated organ acquisition from living unrelated donors.