Kidney Surgery UPJ Hydronephrosis

Kidney surgery may be a necessary procedure for patients with a nonfunctioning kidney, cystic kidney, congenitally small kidney, and kidney cancer. A nephrectomy is the standard kidney removal surgery. The traditional open nephrectomy involves making an incision to remove the whole kidney ridding the patient of all of the cancer before it spreads to other areas of the body. A partial nephrecotomy is when doctors remove only part of the kidney. During partial nephrectomy surgery, the damaged kidney tissue or kidney tumor is removed and the healthy tissue is left in place keeping the kidney intact and working properly.

Kidney surgery for cancer removal can be completed in several other ways. Another type of nephrecotomy procedure is the laparoscopic nephrectomy allowing our doctors to use thin instruments to remove the kidney without having to make large incisions in a patient’s body. The instruments, including a special camera, are inserted through small openings in the patient’s abdomen; our doctors perform the surgery by viewing the image of the surgical site on a monitor. A laparoscopic partial nephrectomy would be conducted the same way, however, only part of the kidney would be removed. If lymph nodes and the adrenal gland are affected, a radical nephrectomy to remove those organs along with the kidney may be necessary.

Kidney stones can develop inside the kidney and block the passage of urine through the ureter, the tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder. A doctor may perform a lithotripsy that uses shock waves to break up the stones so the small pieces can pass through the urine easier and insert a kidney stone stent to relieve the urine flow even more.

Sometimes swelling from other conditions or blood clots can also impede the flow of urine. When a uretero-pelvic obstruction occurs, urine can back up and cause the kidney to stretch or become dilated, a condition called hydronephrosis. Long term damage to the kidney under these types of conditions may warrant a pyeloplasty to reconnect a detached ureter to the kidney or kidney removal if the kidney is beyond repair. Dr. Gheiler and Dr. Bianco will repair your uretero-pelvic obstruction with an open pyeloplasty, laparoscopic pyeloplasty, or minimally invasive pyeloplasty with da Vinci surgery.

Kidney surgery for cancer removal is an intricate procedure that requires the hands of knowledgeable, experienced professionals. The doctors at Urology Specialists will conduct a thorough a careful examination and analysis to help you make the decision that is best for you. Both Dr Fernando Bianco and Dr Edward Gheiler are world-renowned and board-certified experts in urologic surgery. Dr Bianco has extensive expertise in robotic surgery of the kidney, prostate, and bladder, specifically da Vinci surgery, a process involving robotic instruments to perform the surgery more precisely. Dr Gheiler is highly trained in the most cutting-edge surgical options and procedures for treating kidney cancer and other urological disorders, such as kidney stone removal, urinary incontinence, penis surgery for impotence causes, and urinary retention. Call our Miami urology practice today for a full evaluation and consultation of your condition.