Abigail Cheng, Samrawit Misiker, Roberto Sagaribay, and Kavita Batra (all Medicine) published an abstract in the American Journal of Transplantation titled, "Underutilization of Horseshoe Kidney Donors Despite Comparable Quality: A National Analysis from the UNOS Registry (2007–2023)."

Using national United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry data from 2007–2023, the study found that although horseshoe kidney (HSK) donors demonstrated quality metrics comparable to those of standard kidney donors, their kidneys were transplanted less frequently and experienced significantly longer cold ischemia times. These findings suggest that anatomically unique but otherwise viable donor kidneys remain underutilized despite their potential to expand the donor pool. The authors conclude that improving documentation of anatomical complexity, standardizing the reporting of organ discard reasons, and increasing surgical familiarity with HSK anatomy could enhance acceptance rates and improve utilization of these valuable donor organs. These findings contribute to ongoing efforts to reduce organ discard and optimize the use of available kidneys for transplantation.