Patricia Lo had key hole surgery to give a kidney to her daughter Isobel Inglis, 31, who had kidney failure.

Consultant Transplant Surgeon Professor Michael Nicholson, who performed it, said: "There are many advantages of key hole surgery for kidney donors."

The trust was the first in the country to perform key hole surgery for living kidney donors.

Prof Nicholson said: "When compared to conventional procedures the incisions are smaller and therefore it is less painful and there is less scarring.

"Also, donors get better a lot quicker, staying only three days in hospital and can be back to work within four to six weeks of the operation, compared to a three month recovery time with the conventional operation."

'Four small incisions'

Prof Nicholson said the UHL transplant team went over to The John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, USA, in 1998 to see how the operation was performed. Soon after they started performing the operation in Leicester.

The number of key hole donor nephrectomy (kidney) operations performed at UHL has increased from three per year in 1998 to 27 per year by 2004.

Ms Inglis, aged 31, from Aylestone, Leicester, said: "I was really pleased when my mum said she'd be my donor.

"She offered straight away. It has been a few weeks since the operation now and I am slowly recovering."

UHL said it is one of just five, out of 30, transplant units in the UK offering the surgery used when a living donor wishes to donate a kidney to a friend or relative who has renal failure.