Robotic Kidney Surgery

The kidneys are two small organs located behind the abdomen, on each side of the spine.

Both kidneys produce urine to remove toxic by-products and excess fluids from the body, helping maintain a critical balance of salt, potassium and acid.

A common condition affecting the kidneys is a blockage of the ureters, the tubes that transport urine from the kidneys to the bladder that can be present from birth or acquired through illness or injury. Blockages can create serious side effects, such as infection or kidney stones. Left untreated, blockages can cause chronic pain and may damage the kidney over time.

Cancer can also affect the kidneys, forming in the small tubes inside the kidney that filter blood, or in the center of the kidney where urine collects.

Non-cancerous kidney conditions involving a blockage can usually be treated by removing the blockage. Depending on the type of blockage, surgery may be necessary. Kidney cancer is relatively resistant to radiation and chemotherapy, so a standard treatment for localized kidney cancer is removal of the kidney or kidney tumors.

Kidney surgery is traditionally performed using an open approach, which requires a large abdominal incision. Another approach, conventional laparoscopy, is less invasive, but limits the doctor's dexterity, visualization and control, compared to open surgery.

The da Vinci Surgical System combines the best techniques of open surgery and with a robotic-assisted, minimally invasive approach. The precision and dexterity afforded by the da Vinci Surgical System's advanced instrumentation provides surgeons with a minimally invasive approach for treating kidney disorders and kidney cancer.

The da Vinci System uses advanced technology that allows surgeons to perform amore precise operation than conventional instrumentation allows. In addition, it offers numerous potential benefits over a conventional open surgery, including:

• Significantly less pain
• Less blood loss
• Fewer transfusions
• Less risk of infection
• Less scarring
• Shorter hospital stay
• Shorter recovery time
• Increased potential for kidney preservation in certain prescribed cancer operations
• Better clinical outcomes, in many cases

As with any surgery, these benefits cannot be guaranteed, as surgery is patient — and procedure-specific.

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