Laparoscopic heminephrectomy of a horseshoe kidney

Minimally invasive surgery has revolutionized surgery for urologic disorders, and laparoscopic procedures have become widely available for several different ablative and reconstructive operations. Laparoscopic heminephrectomy in patients with horseshoe kidney can be a technically challenging procedure due to aberrant vessels, functional parenchyma in the isthmus, and abnormal location. We report the management of a case of symptomatic nonfunctioning left moiety of a horseshoe kidney with emphasis on its surgical technique combined with a review of the literature. Laparoscopic heminephrectomy is a feasible option in the surgical management of benign and malignant conditions of the horseshoe kidney and can be performed safely using a transperitoneal or a retroperitoneal approach.