title: [Laparoscopic nephrectomy in children].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Laparoscopic nephrectomy in children, not as in the adult population, has evolved more slowly due to the misleading concept that children require small incisions and recover faster. The aim of this article is to present our experience in laparoscopic renal surgery in a paediatric population.
  
  
  METHODS
  We checked the clinical records of children that were subjected to laparoscopic renal surgery at our institution between May 1993 and September 2010. We recorded the data prospectively and analysed it retrospectively. The variables we studied were surgical indication, age, sex, procedure and approach, surgery time, hospital stay, intraoperative bleeding, perioperative complications, conversion to open surgery, reintervention and blood transfusion rates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between May 1993 and September 2010, we operated a total of 72 patients, 45 nephrectomies (62.5%), 13 nephroureterectomies (18%) and 14 heminephrectomies (19.4%). The mean age was 68 months (range 3-168). The mean surgery time was 80.4 min. (range: 25-270 min.) with a estimated mean blood loss of 37.5 ml (range: 0 -1.000 ml). There were 3 (4.1%) conversions to open surgery. One was due to intraoperative bleeding and the other two were secondary to a difficult dissection due to a history of prior renal surgical interventions. The mean hospital stay was 3.17 days (range: 1-30 days) and there were 7 (9.72%) postoperative complications. There were no deaths.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We consider the laparoscopic approach for renal surgery in paediatric patients to be a feasible, safe and effective procedure that must be considered as the first option for the treatment of benign pathology in this population group.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Urología, Clínica Indisa, Santiago, Chile. octavio.castillo@indisa.cl
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Foneron-Villarroel
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: López-Fontana
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bolufer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Carlin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007813:Laparotomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D009392:Nephrectomy / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014513:Ureter / Q000601:surgery