Hand-Assisted Laparoscopic Nephrectomy
About the Procedure:
Urologists at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
were also the first in the Philadelphia area to use this technique
now being performed in a handful of centers across the country to
treat patients with inflamed, infected kidneys and kidney tumors.
This leading-edge procedure is less invasive and can reduce the
length of hospital and recovery time for patients.
Hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy allows a physician to perform
the surgical procedure through a much smaller incision than usual
in the abdomen-- about 7-cm as compared with a normal 25-cm incision.
With such a small incision, a patient’s hospital stay can be
shortened from four to five days to a total of two days.
Typically, a patient undergoing such a procedure through conventional
surgery could expect to be out of work for six to eight weeks. Full
recovery might take as much as three to four months.
But with the hand-assisted procedure, a patient can expect to be
back up to speed within two weeks.
"The hand assisted laparoscopic approach allows the surgeon to perform a procedure using the highest levels of oncologic care in a minimally invasive setting," according to Dr. Leonard Gomella, Chairman of the Department of Urology, Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University.
Even with that small incision, urologists are able to take the
whole kidney out intact, which is important in cancer surgery. The
laparoscopic procedure, though more demanding on the surgeon than
the conventional surgery, makes the procedure easier without increasing
the risk of complications for the patient. The laparoscopic procedure
can be done as quickly, and in some cases, more quickly than the
nephrectomy or the nephroureterectomy performed with the conventional
approach.
If you are a physician and would like to refer a patient
to a Jefferson urologist for this procedure, please call 215-955-0215.
If you are a patient and would like to make an appointment with
a Jefferson urologist or for more information about this procedure,
call 1-800-JEFF-NOW.
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