Radical laparoscopic nephrectomy

In this article, we review the different surgical approaches to carry out radical laparoscopic nephrectomy: transperitoneal approach, retroperitoneal approach and hand-assisted approach. We describe the advantages and drawbacks of each alternative and summarize the most important references in the medical literature. In spite of this being a relatively new surgical approach, less than 15 years old, it has become a standard treatment and, today, is considered as the elective surgical treatment for T1 and T2 renal tumours in many centres.