The word “nephrectomy” is a term used by doctors to describe the surgical removal of a kidney or part of a kidney. The same procedure is often called nephrectomy surgery. When a kidney becomes irreparably damaged or diseased and kidney function is compromised, nephrectomy is often necessary.
The role of the kidney is to clean unneeded waste and harmful toxins from the bloodstream so they can be removed from the body as urine.
A nephrectomy is done as a treatment for one of several possible kidney problems. It is typically done to remove kidneys in cases involving kidney failure or kidney cancer.
Removing an entire kidney is called a complete or radical nephrectomy procedure. A partial nephrectomy procedure describes the removal of a section, but not the entire kidney. A “donor nephrectomy” is a procedure in which one person donates a healthy kidney to another person with a diseased kidney as part of a kidney transplant operation.
Generally speaking, there are two different kinds of procedures used for kidney removal.
1. Laparoscopic Nephrectomy - When the surgeon makes several small incisions in the abdomen instead of one large one, it’s called a laparoscopic nephrectomy. This is a minimally invasive operation using a camera attached to a tube to guide the surgeon’s movements as he or she removes tissue.
2. Open Nephrectomy - This type of nephrectomy operation involves one single large open incision rather than several small ones. The surgeon removes as much tissue as necessary through the large incision. This is the “traditional” method of kidney removal, and requires a longer recovery period.
The type of kidney removal surgery performed will depend on why you need the surgery and how much of the kidney needs to be removed.
You’re probably wondering what factors determine how much kidney tissue needs to be removed.
There are a number of considerations. For instance, how extensive is the damage to the kidney? How much of the kidney has been affected by disease? The doctor will also consider whether the damage is located in only one kidney or not. In the case of cancer, he or she will want to know if it has spread to nearby tissues or to the other kidney.
Several tests are available to help your doctor determine the answers to these questions, including:
Ultrasound - This test uses sound waves to create a picture of the kidney and the tissues around it.
Computerized Tomography - Also known as CT, this uses specialized X-Ray technology to produce images of a thin cross-sectional view of the soft tissues within the kidney.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - This type of technology employs radio waves and a magnetic field to produce computer-enhanced 3-dimensional views of the kidney. Also known as an”MRI.”
After evaluating the data from these tests, your doctor will determine the operation that is right for your case.
Recovery time is not the same for everyone. It varies depending on the overall condition of your health and the kind of nephrectomy you’ve had.
Following a nephrectomy, some patients develop post-surgical complications. These sometimes include hypertension and chronic kidney disease. But most of the time, patients recover fully and lead normal, healthy lives once again.
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