Laparoscopic simultaneous bilateral pretransplant nephrectomy for uncontrolled hypertension

Severe hypertension resistant to multiple antihypertensive drugs represents an indication for bilateral pretransplant renal ablation by surgery or angioembolization. Besides causing severe pain and renal postinfarction syndrome, angioembolization may be ineffective. We present our experience with simultaneous bilateral laparoscopic pretransplant nephrectomies in patients with end-stage renal disease and severe uncontrollable hypertension. Among the three patients considered for bilateral pretransplant laparoscopic nephrectomy between September 2002 and August 2003, the procedure was successfully performed in two patients. Left nephrectomy was performed transperitoneally and right nephrectomy retroperitoneoscopically. In one of the three patients, a prior attempt at angioembolization had produced a dense perirenal reaction, rendering laparoscopic surgery impossible. Total operating time for bilateral laparoscopic nephrectomies was 260 and 280 minutes. Within 1 month following the nephrectomies, all patients became normotensive with minimal or no antihypertensive medications. We conclude that simultaneous bilateral laparoscopic nephrectomy is feasible and less morbid in end-stage renal disease patients. Prior angioembolisation can make laparoscopic surgery difficult or impossible.     

Laparoscopic nephrectomy for renovascular hypertension in a 6-month-old infant.

Laparoscopic procedures continue to gain popularity over traditional open operations for a variety of abdominal and retroperitoneal surgical procedures. With regard to urological surgery, the first laparoscopic nephrectomy was performed in an adult in 1991. In the following years, the feasibility of laparoscopic management of pediatric urological disorders was described, and in 1992 the first laparoscopic nephrectomy in an 8-month-old infant with a multicystic dysplastic kidney was reported. We report the feasibility of laparoscopic nephrectomy for the management of renovascular hypertension in a 6-month-old infant with a dysplastic left kidney.     

Laparoscopic nephrectomy for autotransplantation

Proximal ureteral injuries often require extensive reconstruction to repair. Management options include nephrectomy, ileal ureter interposition, extensive spiral bladder flaps, or autotransplantation. We report a patient who sustained a proximal ureteral avulsion and underwent a less invasive repair by way of a laparoscopic nephrectomy and subsequent autotransplantation.     

Laparoscopic nephrectomy

OBJECTIVE: To present our experience of laparoscopic nephrectomy or nephroureterectomy performed over a 4-year period in terms of feasibility and complications. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 103 patients (58 females, 45 males; median age 58 years) underwent laparoscopic nephrectomy or nephroureterectomy between 1 October 1999 and 1 October 2003. The indications were renal cell cancer (n = 39), transitional cell cancer (n = 23), end-stage pyelonephritis (n = 26), end-stage hydronephrosis (n = 11) and renovascular hypertension (n = 4). Ninety-eight patients were operated on transperitoneally and five retroperitoneally. All procedures were done in the lateral position. RESULTS: Seven procedures had to be converted to open procedures for the following reasons: poor visualization of the renal hilum (n = 5); bleeding from a splenic laceration (n = 1); and difficulty finding the kidney via a retroperitoneal approach (n = 1). The median operating time was 190 min, which decreased with experience. The median blood loss was 150 ml. There were two major complications (one small bowel perforation and one port-site herniation, both necessitating re-exploration) and seven minor complications (five infections, one case of temporary hip pain and one of surgical emphysema). Conclusions. Laparoscopic nephrectomy is a technically demanding procedure with the risk of serious complications, especially in the initial learning phase. However, after gaining experience the procedure can be performed with an acceptable operating time, minimal morbidity and a short hospital stay. Laparoscopic nephrectomy should be the standard procedure in most cases, both malignant and benign, with the possible exception of tumours > 10 cm. In order to expand the use of the technique, it is important to focus specifically on laparoscopic training in the education of trainee urologists.     

Laparoscopic bilateral synchronous nephrectomy for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: the initial experience

PURPOSE: We report our experience with laparoscopic bilateral synchronous nephrectomy for giant symptomatic autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) and compare outcome data with open bilateral nephrectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Since March 1998, 10 patients underwent bilateral synchronous laparoscopic nephrectomy for giant symptomatic ADPKD. A 3 port retroperitoneal laparoscopic approach was used to secure the renal hilum and mobilize the kidney. Intact specimen extraction was performed through a midline infraumbilical extraperitoneal incision. The patient was then repositioned for the contralateral retroperitoneoscopic nephrectomy, with the second specimen also delivered through the same infraumbilical incision. Data were retrospectively compared with 10 patients who had undergone bilateral synchronous open nephrectomy for ADPKD between 1981 and 1992. RESULTS: Patients in the laparoscopic and open groups were comparable in regard to age (53 versus 47 years, p = 0.54) and Anesthesiologist Society of America class (3 versus 3, p = 0.84) but patients in the laparoscopic group were significantly more obese (body mass index 35.9 versus 23.8, p = 0.02). For comparable total specimen weights (3 versus 3 kg, p = 0.69) surgical time was longer in the laparoscopic group (4.4 versus 3.8 hours, p = 0.007). However, the laparoscopic group was superior in regard to blood loss (150 versus 325 cc, p = 0.05), postoperative requirement of nasogastric tube (10% versus 100%, p = 0.0001), narcotic analgesics (34.2 versus 120.4 mg. morphine sulfate equivalent, p = 0.03) and hospital stay (1.5 versus 9 days, p = 0.004). Complications occurred in 5 patients (50%) in the laparoscopic group and 4 (40%) in the open group (p = 0.66). No laparoscopic case was converted to open surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Synchronous bilateral retroperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy for giant symptomatic adult polycystic kidney disease is feasible, safe and efficacious, and can be performed either before or after renal transplantation. Compared to open surgery, the laparoscopic approach results in significantly shorter hospital stay, decreased morbidity and quicker recovery. Laparoscopy is currently our technique of choice in this setting.     

Laparoscopic nephrectomy for benign disease

Nearly 10 years of experience with laparoscopic nephrectomy for benign renal disease has shown that the procedure can be performed safely with a complication rate comparable with open surgery. Improvements in the skill, instrumentation, and technique of the laparoscopist have expanded the indications for the procedure to include larger (polycystic kidneys) and in some cases more complex (xanthogranulomotous pyelonephritis) specimens. Continued demonstration of reduced postoperative pain, shorter hospital stay, and more rapid recovery along with decreasing operative times have made laparoscopy the preferred approach for the surgical removal of benign kidneys.     

Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for cancer

Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy is a rapidly emerging technique for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. Surgeons at multiple institutions have reported excellent technical results with this procedure, with encouraging safety and efficacy data and low complication rates comparable with the rates in open radical nephrectomy. Although debate continues regarding the pros and cons of the transperitoneal versus retroperitoneal approach and regarding morcellation versus intact specimen extraction, laparoscopic radical nephrectomy is beginning to approach standard-of-care status at select institutions for tumors less than 8 cm in size. Although generally accepted indications for laparoscopic radical nephrectomy include T1-T2N0M0 tumors, increasing experience and operator confidence have allowed expansion of these indications to include select patients with nodal disease, preoperatively staged level I renal vein thrombus, cytoreductive surgery before immunotherapy protocols, and the rare patient with a laterally directed locally invasive (pT4N0M0) renal cell carcinoma.     

Acute transient renin-mediated hypertension in children following urinary diversion

Six children with unexplained, acute, transient postoperative renin-mediated hypertension were seen in a seven-month period. All patients had severe hydronephrosis and mild impairment of renal function for which permanent urinary diversion was performed. No obvious changes in electrolyte values, circulation, blood volume, or increased urinary obstruction were noted. Antihypertensive therapy was required in 5 patients. Normalization of blood pressure occurred within six weeks or less in all patients.     

Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy

Since it first was performed in 1995, laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) has grown to be the standard of care in most transplant centers in the United States. This article reviews the current indications, selection criteria, surgical approaches, outcomes, and complications of LDN.     

Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy

ObjetivesTo analyze the surgical and oncologic outcome of prospective experience with laparoscopic partial nephrectomy. We describe the surgical technique and mid term oncological results achieved.Material and methods60 patients were operated with this technique between June 2005 and June 2009. The mean age of patients was 58.9 [38-77] years, being 40 (66.7%) males and 20 (33.3%) women. The average BMI was 26.8 [18-40]. Laterality was 28 (46.7%) tumors rights and 32 (53.3%) left, being located in the upper pole in 14 (23.3%) patients, in the middle third in 13 (21.7%) in the lower pole in 22 (36.7%) and hiliar region in 11 (18.3%). In 23 cases (38.3%) tumors were located in the anterior valve, in 24 (40%) in posterior valve, in 10 (16.7%) at the outer edge and 3 (5%) at the inner edge. The average size tumor on CT was 3.3 [1-6.4] cm and in the surgical specimen 3.1 [1.2-7] cm.ResultsThe mean operative time was 107.17 [50-185] min, with a warm ischemia time of 33 [0-70] min. In 56 cases (93.3%) had a single artery and 4 (6.7%) cases had 2 arteries. The artery was clamped alone in 15 patients (25%), artery and vein in 44 (73.3%) and no clamping was performed in 1 (1.7%). We repaired the urinary tract in 32 patients (53.3%), leaving ureteral catheter in all patients. 20% of patients (12) required transfusion. Intraoperative complications occurred in 5 patients (8.7%). These were: 1 splenic injury requiring splenectomy (1.7%), 1 tear in the vena cava, sutured laparoscopically (1.7%) and 3 cases of bleeding due to bulldog malfunction (5%). Postoperative complications occurred in 11 patients (18.7%) and these were: 1 wall hematoma that required reoperation (1.7%), 1 urinary fistula ending in renal atrophy and subsequent nephrectomy (1.7%), 3 intracavitary hematomas hich resolved conservatively (5%), 1 arteriovenous fistula that needed embolization (1.7%), 1 urinoma that was resolved with percutaneous drainage (1.7%) and 3 cases of postoperative fever (5%). Margins were positive in 1 patient (1.7%). In 49 cases (81.7%) histology was renal cell carcinoma, in 8 (13.3%) oncocytoma, in 2 (3.3%) angiomyolipoma and 1 (1.7%) metastasis. The average stay was 5 [3-29] days. Median follow up was 31 [12-61] months. There was a local recurrence at 16 months (hiliar primary tumor 2.5 cm) and an ipsilateral adrenal metastasis at 34 months (primary tumor 5.6 cm in left lower pole).ConclusionsIn this series of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy low rate of complications, good oncologic results and low recurrence rate in the short term are shown. More patients and further monitoring is required to strengthen the functional and oncological outcomes of this surgical technique.     

Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy

Background: Kidney transplantation is a definitive treatment of end‐stage renal disease. Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) has been widely accepted around the world since its introduction in 1995 as a minimum invasive procedure. We report our clinical experience of 141 consecutive LDNs performed in two tertiary hospitals in Western Australia. Methods: From December 2000 (Royal Perth Hospital) and January 2005 (Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital) to January 2009, 141 LDNs were performed in two tertiary hospitals by four urologists. All donors underwent rigorous work‐up prior to surgery. Donor age ranged from 23 years to 81 years (49.85 ± 11.30 years). The male to female ratio was 1 to 1.3. Donor body mass index (BMI) was 26.77 ± 4.31, and glomerular filtration rate was 96.25 ± 12.33 mL/min/1.73 sqm. The laparoscopic technique was transperitoneal approach exclusively. Results: All LDNs were performed successfully without hand a ssistance. The warm ischaemic time ranged from 3 to 11 min. The hospital stay was 4.16 ± 1.30 days. The overall complication rate was 17.0%, with three major complications (2.1%): a splenetic infarction, a chylous ascites and a pulmonary embolism occurred. Donors' demographic data (age, sex, BMI, side of surgery) did not show a statistically significant association with surgical complications. Conclusions: Transperitoneal laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy is a safe and effective procedure. Combined use of vascular stapler and Hem‐o‐Lok is very important for management of the renal artery stump. It is our current practice to administer anticoagulants during and post‐surgery for at least 2 weeks.     

Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The technique of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy has matured significantly over the past decade and is emerging as an oncologically sound procedure for the management of small renal tumors. Methods of tumor excision as well as parenchymal reconstruction in a hemostatically controlled field have evolved to make this procedure safer. Improved techniques to minimize warm renal ischemia are being developed. Finally, methods to prevent positive surgical margins during laparoscopic surgery are crucial to a satisfactory oncologic outcome. These important technical issues, as well as the current results of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, are discussed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The urologic peer-review literature related to nephron-sparing surgery was reviewed. Controversial issues with respect to the surgical approach, methods of hemostatic control, acceptable time of warm ischemia, and cooling techniques were reviewed and collated. Perioperative results from larger series of laparoscopic and open partial nephrectomy were evaluated. RESULTS: Open nephron-sparing surgery for renal tumors < or =4 cm has cancer control equivalent to that of open radical nephrectomy. Evidence is now emerging that laparoscopic partial nephrectomy will provide similar oncologic results, although clinical follow-up is still early. Blood loss, postoperative pain, and convalescence seem to be favor the laparoscopic approach. Complication rates, primarily postoperative bleeding and urine leak, may be higher than for open nephron-sparing surgery. Methods of laparoscopic hemostatic control favor soft vascular clamping for larger tumors that are more endophytic and central. Smaller exophytic lesions may be managed without renal vascular control using a variety of coagulative and hemostatic tools. Data related to warm renal ischemia suggest that the time used for tumor excision and renal reconstruction should be 30 minutes or less. Techniques for laparoscopic renal cooling are being developed. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic nephron-sparing surgery is a technique in evolution but with a promising outlook. The urologic peer-review literature reflects an exponential growth in interest, which suggests that this minimally invasive approach is practical and may benefit our patient population so as to allow them to return to normal healthy living more quickly.     

Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: With continuing rapid changes in endourology, we conducted a new survey of practice trends and expanded our sampling to include non-American urologists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The survey was done via the Internet using the database for the 2003 World Congress of Endourology. Approximately 1100 surveys were sent, and responses were received from 193 urologists, who had been in practice for a mean of 9.9 years (median 8 years). Of these, 52% spend >50% in endourology, and 48% devote >20% of their practice to laparoscopy. RESULTS: More than half of the respondents (56%) perform laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN), and 65% chose LPN as the procedure of choice for patients with an uncomplicated 3-cm renal mass. The majority obtain vascular control, most commonly by clamping the renal artery only. Most respondents do not use ureteral stents unless the collecting system is entered. CONCLUSIONS: These results and a review of the literature indicate a growing acceptance among endourologists of LPN as the procedure of choice for patients with small renal masses who are to undergo nephron-sparing surgery. Disagreement remains concerning the role and type of vascular control, the use of hemostatic agents, and the value of stents when the collecting system is entered.     

Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy

Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy has gained in popularity as an accepted treatment modality for localized renal cell carcinoma at many centers worldwide. Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy may be performed via a transperitoneal or retroperitoneal approach. Mostly, the transperitoneal approach is used. Current indications for laparoscopic radical nephrectomy include patients with T(1)-T(3a)N(0)M(0) renal tumors. Herein, transperitoneal as well as retroperitoneal laparoscopic approaches are described. Surgical outcomes and complications from published series are reviewed with comparison to open surgery. Special related concerns as oncologic principles, organ retrieval, lymphadenectomy, and concomitant adrenalectomy are addressed. In conclusion, laparoscopic radical nephrectomy is now established with considerable advantages; decreased postoperative morbidity, decreased analgesic requirements, improved cosmesis, shorter hospital stay and convalescence. Although no long-term follow-up is available, short and intermediate follow-up results confirm the effectiveness of laparoscopic radical nephrectomy.     

Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review defines the current role, indications, contraindications, advances, complications, and outcomes of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy in the management of renal tumors. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent publications have widened the scope for the application of this technology. The new advances in the management of renal tumors and the tools for tumor excision, renal parenchymal reconstruction, hemostasis, renal vascular control to establish renal ischemia, and the ability to avoid positive surgical margins have made the procedure safe and feasible in the hands of an experienced laparoscopist. SUMMARY: The trend toward nephron-sparing surgery has become stronger even in the presence of normal contralateral functioning kidney. Data on oncologic efficacy are promising, and partial nephrectomy is becoming a standard therapy for renal tumors less than 4 cm in size in many centers. Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy has evolved significantly during the past 10 years in our experience as well as that of others. It cannot be considered as a standard yet, but it is being performed in rapidly increasing numbers with good surgical efficiency and oncologic efficacy parallel to that of open surgery.     

Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy

BACKGROUND: Living kidney donation represents an important source of organs for patients with end-stage renal failure. Over the past decade, laparoscopic donor nephrectomy has replaced the conventional open procedure in many transplant centres. Using evidence-based methods, this study examines the current status of laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. METHOD: A Medline literature search (PubMed database, 1999-2002) and manual cross-referencing were performed to identify all articles relating to laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. Safety and efficacy criteria were analysed systematically for each study. Studies included were categorized using an evidence-based level grading system. RESULTS: Of 687 publications, 20 studies with level I-II evidence and 12 with level III evidence were analysed. Only one level I study could be identified. Level I and level II evidence suggests superiority of the laparoscopic approach in regard to postoperative analgesic consumption, hospital stay and return to work. Other safety and efficacy criteria, including donor and recipient outcomes, were similar between the two techniques. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy has gained community acceptance by physicians and patients over the past decade. Despite a lack of strong evidence, such as large prospective randomized studies, laparoscopic donor nephrectomy is likely to become the 'gold standard' for donor nephrectomy in the near future.