Retroperitoneal renal laparoscopy

The retroperitoneal laparoscopic approach to the kidney offers a minimally invasive access that mimics the open surgical techniques of renal surgery. It allows renal surgery without violation of the peritoneal cavity with its attendant complications such as bowel injury and ileus. Over the last two decades, all renal surgery has been shown to be feasible through this technique. This includes complicated procedures such as a donor nephrectomy and radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract transitional cell cancers. We began performing retroperitoneoscopic renal surgery in the early 1990s and have developed a number of modifications to existing techniques so as to make this surgery easy and cost effective. In this review, we discuss the evolution of retroperitoneoscopic renal surgery, the indications, techniques and outcome of all types of retroperitoneoscopic renal surgery.