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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.