ROBOTIC NEPHRECTOMY

Robotic Nephrectomy

The kidneys are the two small organs that are located behind the abdomen, on each side of the spine. The kidneys are responsible for producing urine and they remove toxic by-products and excess fluids from the body. This helps to maintain a balance of salt, acid and potassium which is critical for the body to function normally. Sometimes tumors of the kidney will exist and lead to cancer.

Kidney surgery is often considered the primary treatment for most kidney cancers. Depending on the size of the tumor, the location, stage of the disease and the patient’s age and overall health, a variety of surgical procedures are available.

One such surgical procedure is a nephrectomy, for localized kidney cancer, which is the removal of the kidney. A partial nephrectomy can also be performed where a portion of the kidney is removed. While many kidney surgeries are performed traditionally using an open approach, which generally consists and requires a large incision into the abdomen, many doctors are turning towards the robotic method to minimize the side effects associated with the surgery.

If your urologist recommends kidney surgery to treat a kidney condition, you may be a candidate for a new, minimally invasive approach — known as the da Vinci robotic surgery, or a robotic nephrectomy.

A robotic nephrectomy uses state-of-the-art robotic assisted technology to help our doctors perform a more precise surgery than conventional instrumentation allows. There are numerous potential benefits a da Vinci surgery over a conventional open nephrectomy, including:

• Less blood loss
• Fewer post-surgical complications
• Significantly less pain
• Less risk of infection
• Minimal scarring
• Shorter hospital stay
• Shorter recovery time
• Better clinical outcomes, in many cases