laparoscopic nephrectomy steps
the laparoscopic nephrectomy procedure
the doctor normally carry out the procedure under a general anaesthetic and you will be asleep throughout
- the doctor may give you an injection of antibiotics before the procedure, after you have been checked for any allergies
- the doctor distend (inflate) your abdominal (tummy) cavity by injecting carbon dioxide gas using a special needle
- the doctor create several keyhole incisions (ports) and insert operating instruments through them (pictured)
- the doctor free your kidney and its surrounding fat using these instruments, and extract the kidney from your abdomen by enlarging one of the port incisions
- the doctor close the wounds with absorbable stitches or clips which normally disappear within two to three the weeks and inject local anaesthetic into the wounds for pain relief.
- the doctor put a catheter in your bladder to monitor your urine output; this is removed as soon as you are mobile
- the doctor sometimes put a drain down to the area where the kidney was removed, to prevent fluid accumulation; this is removed when it stops draining
- the procedure takes from one to three hours to complete, depending on complexity
- you can expect to be in hospital for three days
