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Removing a Kidney: What Is A Nephrectomy Operation?

31st October, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

When part or all of a kidney is removed in surgery, the procedure is called a nephrectomy. It may also be referred to as nephrectomy surgery. Nephrectomy surgery becomes necessary when a kidney stops functioning because it is irreparably diseased or damaged.

One of the most important functions of a kidney is to filter waste from the blood. It produces urine to eliminate this waste from the body.

A nephrectomy is done as a treatment for one of several possible kidney problems. It is typically done to remove kidneys in cases of failing kidneys 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.

A nephrectomy is usually done one of several ways.

1. Laparoscopic Nephrectomy – The surgeon makes several small incisions. A tube with a small camera attached to it is placed in one of them. Instruments for performing the surgery are placed in the others. The surgeon uses the camera to guide his or her movements in using the instruments to remove all or part of the kidney.

2. Open Nephrectomy – This type of nephrectomy operation involves a 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 nephrectomy surgery that’s right for you depends on how much of the kidney needs to be removed, and the cause of the problem.

The question you’re probably asking right now is, “What factors determine how much of the kidney needs to be taken out?”

There are several considerations. It’s important to know how much of the kidney’s function has been affected by disease. The doctor must also determine the amount of damage the kidney has suffered, and how the damage has affected kidney function. The doctor will have to find out if the problem affects only one area or only one kidney. He or she will want to know if affects nearby tissue or the other kidney.

There are a number of tests that can be used to help get the answers your doctor needs to do the procedure, including:

Ultrasound – Sound waves can be used to “paint” a computer-enhanced picture of the kidney and surrounding tissues.

Computerized Tomography – This involves specialized X-ray technology which creates a series of thin, cross-sectional views of tissue. Also known as CT or CT scanning.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging – An “MRI” uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce a 3D computer image of the kidney.

After examining the results from these tests, your surgeon come up with a course of action that’s best for you.

Recovery time for a nephrectomy will depend on which type of surgery you’ve had and your overall health.

There may be long-term complications connected to a nephrectomy. These include high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease. Nonetheless, most of the time, someone who has had kidney removal surgery can live a happy, healthy life with the remaining kidney tissue – even though overall kidney function will be less than normal.

You can get additional information on this and related similar subjects by clicking kidney removal, nephrectomy or kidney problems.