José M. Campero

Laparoscopic Radical Nephrectomy For Cancer With Level I Renal Vein Involvement

PURPOSE Venous involvement develops in 5% to 10% of patients with renal cell carcinoma and is generally considered a relative contraindication to laparoscopic radical nephrectomy. To our knowledge we report the initial clinical series of laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma associated with level I renal vein thrombus. MATERIALS AND METHODS At our 2 institutions 8 patients each underwent laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for level I microscopic renal vein thrombus (group 1) and level I gross thrombus (group 2). In all 8 group 2 patients the level I thrombus was preoperatively diagnosed by computerized tomography. Mean renal tumor size in groups 1 and 2 was 7.8 and 12.4 cm., respectively. After controlling the renal artery the renal vein was secured by firing an endoscopic gastrointestinal anastomosis stapler on its collapsed, uninvolved proximal part adjacent to the vena cava. Intraoperative, postoperative and pathological parameters were assessed in the 2 groups. RESULTS In group 1 laparoscopic radical nephrectomy was technically successful in all 8 patients. Mean operative time was 3.1 hours, mean estimated blood loss was 382 cc and mean hospital stay was 1.9 days. In 1 patient each a soft tissue and a vascular margin was positive for cancer. At a mean follow up of 19.5 months (range 2 to 36) metastatic disease occurred in 3 cases (38%). In group 2 laparoscopic radical nephrectomy was technically successful in 7 cases with open conversion in 1. Mean operative time was 3.3 hours, mean estimated blood loss was 354 cc and mean hospital stay was 2.3 days. Surgical soft tissue and the renal vein vascular margin of the transected vein were negative for cancer in all 8 cases. At a mean followup of 9.4 months (range 5 to 16) pulmonary metastasis developed in 1 patient (13%). CONCLUSIONS Although it is an advanced procedure, laparoscopic radical nephrectomy in patients with level I renal vein thrombus is feasible, safe and follows established oncological principles.

Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy: A series of one hundred cases performed by the same surgeon

Introduction: Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) has become the first-line surgical technique for the management of renal tumors smaller than 4 cm. Its main advantages are an excellent oncologic control together with the preservation of nephron units. Moreover, it implies a shorter length of hospital stay, less postoperative pain, and shorter recovering times for patients. Context: We included 100 patients who consecutively underwent LPN between years 2000 and 2010 in our institution. Aims: The aim was to present our experience and to compare it with the results reported in the literature by other centers. Settings and Design: This was a prospective study. Subjects and Methods: One hundred consecutive patients (67 men and 33 women) who underwent LPN within years 2000 and 2010 were included in the study. In all cases, surgery was performed by the same surgeon (JMC). Data were collected retrospectively, including clinical and histopathologic information, as well as surgical and functional results. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test and SPSS v17 software. A P–value < 0.05 was considered significant in all the analyses. Results: The indication for LPN was a renal tumor or a complex renal cyst in the 96% of the cases. A retroperitoneal or transperitoneal approach was performed in the 62% and 38% of the cases, respectively. The average size of the tumor was 3.3 cm (range 1–8). The mean surgical time was 103.5 min (range 40–204). The mean estimated blood loss was 193.7 cc. The average hospital length of stay was 50.2 h. Six (6%) patients had complications related to the surgery. The majority (n = 2) was due to intraoperative bleeding. With an average follow-up time of 42.1 months, there is no tumor recurrence reported up to now. Conclusions: Our results are similar to those reported in the international literature. LPN is a challenging surgical technique that in hands of a trained and experienced surgeon has excellent and reproducible results for the management of small renal masses and cysts.