Laparoscopic nephrectomy (including nephroureterectomy)

Summary

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued full guidance to the NHS in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on laparoscopic nephrectomy (including nephroureterectomy).

Description

Indications for nephrectomy include kidney cancer, severe trauma to the kidney and benign disease such as symptomatic hydronephrosis, chronic infection, polycystic kidney disease, shrunken kidney, hypertension or renal calculus. The most common type of kidney cancer is renal cell cancer. Other types include Wilm’s tumour (a childhood cancer) and transitional cell cancer.

The standard treatment for an irreversibly damaged kidney or localised kidney cancer is an open nephrectomy. Under general anaesthesia, the kidney is removed through a large incision that may be made in the side of the body, in the front of the abdomen or in the back. A simple nephrectomy is the removal of just the kidney whereas a radical nephrectomy also involves the removal of the adrenal gland and sometimes the lymph nodes.

A laparoscopic nephrectomy is performed under a general anaesthetic. Three or four small abdominal incisions are made in the abdomen to provide access for surgical instruments that are used to detach the kidney and to ligate the blood vessels. The intact kidney is enclosed in a bag and removed through an incision or it may be placed in an impermeable sack, morcellated and removed through one of the port sites.

Hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy allows the surgeon to place one hand in the abdomen while maintaining the pneumoperitoneum required for laparoscopy. A small incision is made which is just large enough for the surgeon’s hand and an airtight ‘sleeve’ device is used to form a seal around the incision. At the end of the procedure, the intact kidney can be removed through the same incision.

NICE Pathways

This guidance has been incorporated into the following NICE Pathways, along with other related guidance and products.

Visit the NICE Pathway: chronic kidney disease

OPCS4.6 Code(s):

M02.- Total excision of kidney

Y75.2 Laparoscopic approach to abdominal cavity NEC orY75.4 Hand assisted minimal access approach to abdominal cavity

Note: A fourth character must be selected from category M02.- Total excision of kidney to further specify the nephrectomy or nephroureterectomy.

_{The NHS Classifications Service of NHS Connecting for Health is the central definitive source for clinical coding guidance and determines the coding standards associated with the classifications (OPCS-4 and ICD-10) to be used across the NHS.   The NHS Classifications Service and NICE work collaboratively to ensure the most appropriate classification codes are provided.  www.connectingforhealth.co.uk/clinicalcoding}

Details

Contact details:

Links:

	IPG136 Laparoscopic nephrectomy (including nephroureterectomy): guidance	24 August 2005
	IPG136 Laparoscopic nephrectomy (including nephroureterectomy): guidance (web format)	10 February 2011
	IPG136 Laparoscopic nephrectomy: information for the public	24 August 2005
	Interventional procedures consultation document - laparoscopic nephrectomy	25 January 2005
	Interventional procedures overview of laparoscopic nephrectomy (including nephroureterectomy)	25 January 2005