Nephrectomy. A review of the surgical approaches

Preoperative investigations determine the site, size, extent, and nature of the renal disease, which dictates the type of nephrectomy to be performed. The two basic surgical approaches to the kidney are lateral and anterior, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Adequate exposure, careful dissection, and individual ligation and division of the renal vessels minimizes the complications with nephrectomy. A chest x-ray on the postanesthesia recovery room will rule out a pneumothorax following nephrectomy.