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The laparoscopic approach to donor nephrectomy is becoming increasingly common. While it is felt that the recovery from laparoscopic nephrectomy is quicker and less painful, a number of complications have been reported. A rarely reported on complication in the literature with significant morbidity is ipsilateral orchalgia. From 1998 to 2008, 257 hand-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomies were performed at our institution. Eight of 129 (6.2%) men complained of de novo ipsilateral orchalgia postoperatively. The average duration of pain was 402 days. Patients reported significant morbidity related to this complication. None, however, required further treatment. Three patients reported that they would reconsider organ donation as a result of testicular pain. Our technique originally included dissection and ligation of the gonadal vein en bloc with the ureter at the level of the left common iliac artery. Since recognizing this complication, we have adopted a gonadal vein sparing approach so as not to disturb the vessel below its point of ligation at the renal vein. To date, 50 patients have undergone the modified technique without experiencing orchalgia. In conclusion, ipsilateral testicular pan is a relatively frequent complication of laparoscopic donor nephrectomy and may be a source of significant morbidity. Using a modified surgical technique, this complication can be reduced or eradicated., (©2011 The Authors Journal compilation©2011 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.)

Renal artery aneurysm is an infrequently seen disease. The most feared symptom is rupture, which is often rapidly fatal. Indications for intervention include size, intractable symptoms and pregnancy. Many cases are managed by endovascular techniques; however, very complex cases often are referred to the urologist. We report our experience with the rarely used technique of renal artery aneurysms repair comprised of nephrectomy, extracorporeal vascular reconstruction with aneurysmectomy, and autotransplant.

Objective: To review trends in open partial nephrectomy (OPN) at our center, concentrating on patient selection, technique and perioperative complications., Methods: A comprehensive database was developed by chart review of consecutive patients undergoing OPN for renal masses at our center. Patient selection, technical modifications, perioperative morbidity, and histopathology were compared in patients undergoing OPN between 1992-1999, 2000-2003, and 2004-2008. Complications were divided into procedure-specific (PSCs) and nonspecific medical complications (NMCs). They were graded using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), version 3.0., Results: One hundred and sixty-three OPNs were performed. Temporal trends identified include: an increase in the mean patient BMI (p = 0.04), an increase in the percentage of patients with central tumors (p < 0.001), decrease in cold ischemia time (p = 0.045), increasing use of a sequential renal vein clamp (p = 0.03), increasing utilization of tissue sealants (p < 0.001), reduced EBL (p = 0.05), reduced length of stay (p = 0.005), and a decline in PSCs from 16 to 7% (p = 0.002). The incidence of histologically benign tumors declined from 34 to 10% (p = 0.001). Thirty-three (20.2%) patients experienced perioperative complications: 70% were CTCAE grade 1 or 2 adverse events. BMI was the only factor that was found to be associated with the risk of complications on multivariate analysis [odds ratio 1.067, CI 95% (1.002-1.136); p = 0.031]., Conclusions: Increasingly, OPN is being utilized for a cohort of challenging patients who are overweight and have centrally located tumors. Despite this, the risk of PSCs is low. Patients who are overweight are at increased risk for perioperative NMCs.