It required a large incision below or between the ribs, followed by nearly a week in the hospital, and a long recovery period. Now, doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas can remove a kidney and have you home in a couple of days with only a few little bandages to show for it. The new procedure is called laparoscopic surgery, or minimally invasive surgery. With this technique, doctors make three tiny incisions about a half inch in length. A miniature video camera inserted into one of the incisions gives the surgeon the inside view on a video monitor.
Surgeons use miniaturized instruments inserted through the other incisions to perform the operation.
It's a challenging surgical technique that takes a lot of practice for surgeons, but the results are worth it for patients. When minimally invasive surgery is used to remove a kidney, patients generally get to leave the hospital after two days, and they can be back at work in a couple of weeks. UT Southwestern doctors are also using this technique for surgical reconstruction of kidneys and partial kidney removal. Other Topics Health Watch is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.