When medical professionals use the term "nephrectomy," they're referring to an operation in which part or all of a kidney is removed. The term "nephrectomy surgery" is often used to describe the same procedure. When a kidney becomes irreparably damaged or diseased and kidney function fails, nephrectomy surgery is often necessary.

The kidneys serve a variety of different functions, but one of the most important is filtering waste and toxins from the blood so they can be removed from the body in urine.

A nephrectomy is done to treat one of several possible kidney problems. It is most often used in cases involving patients whose kidneys have failed, and where there's kidney cancer or abnormal tissue growth.

A complete or radical nephrectomy means the whole kidney is removed. When only a part of the kidney is taken out, it's called a partial nephrectomy. Sometimes, a person who needs a kidney transplant will receive a healthy kidney from another person. A "donor nephrectomy" is the term used to describe the procedure in which the healthy kidney is removed from the donor.

A nephrectomy procedure is usually done one of several ways.

1. Laparoscopic Nephrectomy - This is a minimally invasive operation using several small incisions instead of one large one. A tiny camera is placed inside the body, and the surgeon uses instruments placed in the incisions to remove tissue as needed.

2. Open Nephrectomy - Unlike the laparoscopic type, an open nephrectomy procedure involves making a large open incision for removing the kidney or part of the kidney.

The condition of the kidney and how much tissue needs to be removed will determine whether a laparoscopic or an open nephrectomy is the better option.

So how does the surgeon decide how much kidney tissue to remove?

It depends on many different things. The first thing the surgeon will look at will be how much of the kidney is damaged or affected by disease. The doctor will also consider whether the damage is located in only one kidney or not. In the case of cancer, he or she will need to know if it has spread to nearby tissues or to the other kidney.

There are a number of tests that can be used to help get the answers your doctor needs to do the procedure, including:

Ultrasound - This test uses sound waves to create a picture of the kidney and the tissues around it.

Computerized Tomography - Another name for this is CT or CT scanning. It employs special X-ray technology which creates thin, cross -sectional "slices" of kidney tissue.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging - A three dimensional computer image is produced using radio waves and a magnetic field. Computer resonance imaging is often shortened to "MRI."

Your doctor will evaluate the results of these various tests and suggest the best surgical procedure for you.

Recovery time is different from one patient to another. Your recovery time will depend on the type of operation you've had and your overall health.

Following a nephrectomy, some patients develop post-surgical complications. These may include high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease. in an overwhelming majority of cases, a nephrectomy patient can live a happy, healthy life with the remaining kidney tissue - even though overall kidney function will be less than normal.