Kidney removal, or nephrectomy, is surgery to remove all or part of a kidney. It may involve:
This surgery is done in the hospital while you are asleep and pain-free (general anesthesia). The procedure can take 3 hours.
For simple nephrectomy or open kidney removal:
For radical nephrectomy or open kidney removal:
For laparoscopic surgery:
Sometimes, your surgeon may make a cut in a different place than described above.
Some hospitals and medical centers are doing this surgery using robots. See also: Robotic surgery
Kidney removal may be recommended for:
Risks for any surgery are:
Risks for this procedure are:
Always tell your doctor or nurse:
During the days before the surgery:
On the day of the surgery:
You will stay in the hospital for 2 to 7 days, depending on the type of the surgery you have. During a hospital stay, you may:
Recovering from open surgery may be painful because of where the surgical cut is. Recovery after a laparoscopic procedure is usually quicker, with less pain.
The outcome is usually good when a single kidney is removed. If both kidneys are removed, or the remaining kidney does not work well enough, you will need hemodialysis or a kidney transplant.
Nephrectomy; Simple nephrectomy; Radical nephrectomy; Open nephrectomy; Laparoscopic nephrectomy; Partial nephrectomy
Novick AC. Open surgery of the kidney. In: Wein AJ, ed. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 50.
Updated by: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Scott Miller, MD, Urologist in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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