Radical Nephrectomy
A radical nephrectomy is a type of inpatient surgery where your entire kidney is removed, as well as the fat surrounding it, and sometimes the adrenal gland and lymph nodes. You might have this procedure because you have a kidney disease or injury, kidney cancer, or because you’re donating your kidney. Kidneys cleanse your blood and turn waste into urine.
What happens before a radical nephrectomy
In the days before your operation, blood samples will be taken to tell your blood type in case you need a transfusion. Your healthcare provider might ask you to stop taking certain medications such as blood thinners. You will recover more quickly and are less likely to have a complication after surgery if you don’t smoke. You will be asked to not eat or drink after midnight the night before the surgery. Your healthcare provider will give you instructions about any of your medicines that you should take the day of the surgery.
How is a radical nephrectomy done
Radical nephrectomies can by “open” or laparoscopic surgery. In an open surgery, there is one incision or opening. Laparoscopic surgeries are done with several smaller incisions. The surgeon uses an instrument called a laparoscope, which has a tiny camera on the end, to do the surgery. When the surgeon is ready to take out the kidney, he or she will make one of the cuts bigger.
Laparoscopic procedures, which also are called minimally invasive surgeries, are now more common than open procedures. However, for larger tumors, for more complex cases, or whenever clearing out all the lymph nodes is required, an open procedure is often still the best approach.
Risks
Like all surgeries, a radical nephrectomy surgery can cause infection, bleeding, post-operative pneumonia, post-operative wounds and, rarely, an allergic reaction to the anesthesia.
If your remaining kidney doesn’t function properly or has a disease, it may fail.
What happens after a radical nephrectomy
When you’re out of surgery, your healthcare team will closely monitor your blood pressure and other body functions. You will be treated with pain medication. Shortly after surgery you will be asked to get out of bed and walk. This promotes healing and normal physical functions and also reduces the chance of some complications, including pneumonia. You might, for a short time, have a catheter (a thin, flexible tube) that will drain urine from your bladder.