A New Procedure Makes Kidney Surgery Tolerable

A new minimally invasive procedure will make kidney surgery a much more tolerable experience.

"During a laproscopic nephrectomy several half-inch incisions are made around the abdomen," says Dr. Peter Schulam, a urologist at Baylor College of Medicine. "Through those incisions the kidney is cut free and deposited into a sack in the abdomen. The sack is then pulled through one of the incisions."

This procedure means less need for pain medication, a shorter hospital stay, and a quickened recovery. A person will recover from the laproscopic procedure in six to eight weeks, compared to 10 to 12 months from regular kidney surgery.

- From Baylor College of Medicine

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Courtesy of Texas Medical Center News

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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