title: Laparoscopic nephrectomy, ex vivo excision and autotransplantation for complex renal tumors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In many patients partial nephrectomy is the preferred alternative to radical nephrectomy for upper urinary tract cancers. We describe the use of laparoscopic nephrectomy, ex vivo excision and reconstruction, and autotransplantation to expand the realm of minimally invasive, nephron sparing surgery to the most complex renal tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  In our cohort undergoing renal surgery 2 patients had a solitary kidney with renal tumors not considered amenable to in situ partial nephrectomy. After transperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy ex vivo tumor excision and renorrhaphy were performed. The kidney was transplanted to the ipsilateral iliac vessels through the Gibson extraction incision.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Indications for surgery were high grade urothelial carcinoma within a caliceal diverticulum and a central 5 cm renal cell carcinoma. Mean nephrectomy, cold ischemic and transplantation times were 4.5, 2 and 3.7 hours, respectively. No intraoperative or postoperative complications were noted. Hospitalization was 12 and 6 days, respectively. At 20 and 12 months of followup each patient remained off dialysis without evidence of recurrence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite experience with conventional nephron sparing surgery some cases may be more appropriate for ex vivo excision and reconstruction. In these situations the minimally invasive approach provides a kidney suitable for renal autotransplantation, while simultaneously decreasing patient morbidity. This novel approach to complex renal tumors is feasible when one applies principles of laparoscopic donor nephrectomy and possesses experience with renal transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology , University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco, 94143-0738, USA. mmeng@urol.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Maxwell V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Chris E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Freise
authors.forename: Marshall L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Stoller
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D009392:Nephrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous