[Retroextraperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy]

The authors describe a new technique of laparoscopic nephrectomy; the retroextraperitoneal approach has been successfully performed in 4 patients with the following indications: 2 non functioning hydronephrotic kidneys, 2 atrophic chronic pyelonephritic kidneys. The patient was put in a proneoblique position after the retrograde placement of a ureteral catheter up to the renal pelvis, through which the contrast medium was injected. The Veress needle is inserted under fluoroscopic guidance into the perirenal fatty space which was insufflated with CO2. One 12 mm and three 10 mm Trocars were inserted into the cavity created by gas in the trapezoid area whose boundaries are: the 12th rib, the iliac crest, the posterior axillary line and the sacrospinalis muscle. The kidney was progressively dissected free with the traditional laparoscopic instruments (forceps and scissors). The artery has always been closed with clips. In two patients the vein has been stapled and cut with EndoGIA. After the section of the clipped ureter the kidney was removed en block by pulling it out through the 20 mm Kleiber Trocar in two cases and in the other two cases by extending to a length of 4 cm the port of one Trocar. The average total operating time was 4.35 hours and blood loss < 200 cc. The patients were all discharged on the fourth postoperative day. The advantages of the retroextraperitoneal approach with respect to open surgery are synthetically the following: a less traumatic and a more accurate dissection almost always bloodless; a shorter hospitalization period; an almost painless postoperative course.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)