Laparoscopic Nephrectomy

Nephrectomy is the surgical procedure of removing a kidney or section of a kidney.

Purpose : Nephrectomy, or kidney removal, is performed on patients with cancer of the kidney. A disease in which cysts displace healthy kidney tissue and serious kidney infections. It is also used to remove a healthy kidney from a donor for the purpose of kidney transplantation.

Precautions : Because the kidney is responsible for filtering wastes and fluid from the bloodstream, kidney function is critical to life. Nephrectomy candidates suffering from serious kidney disease, cancer, or infection usually have few treatment choices but to undergo the procedure. However, if kidney function is lost in the remaining kidney, the patient will require chronic dialysis treatments or transplantation of a healthy kidney to sustain life.

Description : Nephrectomy may involve removing a small portion of the kidney or the entire organ and surrounding tissues. In partial nephrectomy, only the diseased or infected portion of the kidney is removed. Radical nephrectomy involves removing the entire kidney, a section of the tube leading to the bladder, the gland that sits a top the kidney. A simple nephrectomy performed for transplant purposes requires removal of the kidney.