Some guidelines in use of lasers in renal surgery

Some guidelines for the use of lasers in renal surgery are presented. The carbon dioxide laser was successfully used in 9 patients with diverse renal pathology (staghorn calculus, 4 patients; renal tumor, 3 patients; congenital arteriovenous (A-V) fistula, 1 patient; segmental chronic atrophic pyelonephritis, 1 patient) as an excisional tool, allowing us to reduce intraoperative blood loss, decrease operating time, and preserve the functional integrity on the remaining renal segment. This modality appears to be a safe addition to the urologic armamentarium, when used as an excisional tool in renal surgery.