There are different approaches to kidney removal surgery, including open and laparoscopic surgery.
The choice of surgery varies by the condition it’s treating.
What Is Renal Cell Carcinoma?
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Simple Nephrectomy
With a simple nephrectomy, all of one kidney is removed without any adjacent tissues.
By removing these tissues, the odds of disease-freeremissionincrease.
Bilateral Nephrectomy
Bilateral (two-sided) nephrectomy is when both kidneys are removed.
A person undergoing this procedure requires either akidney transplantor treatments like continuoushemodialysisto stay alive.
Nephrectomy is a major surgery that can take three or more hours to complete.
The approach can vary based on whether the surgery is open or laparoscopic.
Doing so promotes blood circulation and helps prevent blood clots.
You may also have a tube (catheter) coming from your bladder that will later be removed.
There may also be asurgical drainin your incision.
Deep breathing exercises may be recommended to reduce the risk ofpneumonia(lung infection).
Stronger medications, includingopioids, may be prescribed if the pain is severe.
These drugs can promote bleeding and slow healing.
You will also need to avoid exercises or activities that place stress on the abdominal muscles.
This includes heavy lifting (including the lifting of children and groceries) for at least four weeks.
Rest is important during your recovery.
If you havesurgical stripson your incision, do not peel them off.
Leave them in place for a week or until they fall off.
Always keep the area around the incisions clean and dry to avoid infection.
Wash the area daily with warm, soapy water and pat the skin dry.
Do not clean the incision with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, which can delay healing.
Weight Changes
Weight gain is not uncommon after nephrectomy.
It may occur as a result of postoperativeedema, in which fluids accumulate in tissues due to extremeinflammation.
It may also result from intravenous (IV) fluids given during surgery.
The fluid overload may be limited to the incision site or involve the entire body.
You may also gain weight if you had a kidney transplant.
Studies suggest that two out of three transplant recipients gain weight as their kidneys start to function normally again.
When this happens, waste products likeurate, which suppress appetite, no longer build up in the system.
In short, one healthy kidney can more than accommodate your body’s needs.
Some are general surgical complications like postoperative infection, pneumonia, and reactions to anesthesia.
Others may be associated with the nephrectomy procedure.
Even so, the risk of reoperation is greater with partial nephrectomy.
These factors must be assessed to determine which key in of surgery is most appropriate for people with RCC.
Chief among these is the detection of cancer.
If no cancer is found, it is considered a benign pathologic finding.
This places stress on the remaining kidney, leading to a possible loss of kidney function over time.
Summary
Nephrectomy is the surgical removal of part or all of a kidney.
Nephrectomy is a major surgery performed under general anesthesia.
Recovery can take anywhere from six to 12 weeks.
If both kidneys are removed, a kidney transplant or hemodialysis is necessary to keep the person alive.
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