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The field of urology has embraced minimally invasive surgical procedures, from endoscopic to laparoscopic to robotic assisted surgery. As these surgical techniques are applied to renal cancer, the oncological outcomes need to be compared to more traditional open surgery. Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy emulates the open surgical technique and has become an alternative to open surgery at many academic centers. Still its wide spread adoption has been limited by the challenges of renal mass extirpation and renal reconstruction in a timely fashion to limit renal ischemia. The following review is designed to assist the urologic surgeon in performing a successful laparoscopic partial nephrectomy by detailing the "tips and tricks" of the procedure.

Background: Intraoperative cholangiograms (IOCs) may increase cost, surgical time, and radiation exposure of staff and patients. The authors introduce the application of passive infrared imaging to intraoperative cholangiography as a feasible alternative to traditional fluoroscopic IOCs., Methods: A porcine model was used in which the gallbladder, cystic duct, common bile duct (CBD), and duodenum were exposed and an 18-gauge angiocatheter was inserted into the cystic duct. Infrared emission was detected using a digital infrared camera positioned 30 to 60 cm above the abdomen. Infrared images were taken in real time (approximately 1/s) during infusion of room-temperature saline. A thermoplastic polymer stone then was inserted into the CBD. Once the artificial stone was placed, room-temperature saline was again injected. A standard single-shot renograffin IOC was obtained to confirm the obstruction. The experiment was concluded by creation of a lateral 2-mm CBD injury immediately proximal to the duodenum followed by infusion of room-temperature saline., Results: Six pigs were used in this study. Baseline infrared imaging was able to capture a visible temperature decrease, outlining the lumen of the CBD. With injection of room-temperature saline, a decrease in temperature was visualized as a dark area representing flow from the CBD to the duodenum. After placement of the synthetic stone, real-time infrared images displayed slowing of the injected bolus by the obstruction. The obstruction was correlated with fluoroscopic IOCs. Finally, after partial transection of the CBD, the infrared camera visualized saline flowing from the site of injury out into the peritoneal cavity., Conclusions: The CBD anatomy, obstruction, and injury can be clearly visualized with an infrared camera. Intraoperative infrared imaging is an emerging method already being used in several surgical fields. Ultimately, the integration of infrared and laparoscopic technology will be necessary to make infrared technology important in laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Background: Inherent to minimally invasive procedures are loss of tactile feedback and loss of three-dimensional assessment. Tasks such as vessel identification and dissection are not trivial for the inexperienced laparoscopic surgeon. Advanced surgical imaging, such as 3-charge-coupled device (3-CCD) image enhancement, can be used to assist with these more challenging tasks and, in addition, offers a method to noninvasively monitor tissue oxygenation during operations., Study Design: In this study, 3-CCD image enhancement is used for identification of vessels in 25 laparoscopic donor and partial nephrectomy patients. The algorithm is then applied to two laparoscopic nephrectomy patients involving multiple renal arteries. We also use the 3-CCD camera to qualitatively monitor renal parenchymal oxygenation during 10 laparoscopic donor nephrectomies (LDNs)., Results: The mean region of interest (ROI) intensity values obtained for the renal artery and vein (68.40 +/- 8.44 and 45.96 +/- 8.65, respectively) are used to calculate a threshold intensity value (59.00) that allows for objective vessel differentiation. In addition, we examined the renal parenchyma during LDNs. Mean ROI intensity values were calculated for the renal parenchyma at two distinct time points: before vessel stapling (nonischemic) and just before extraction from the abdomen (ischemic). The nonischemic mean ROI intensity values are statistically different from the ischemic mean ROI intensity values (p < 0.05), even with short ischemia times., Conclusions: We have developed a technique, 3-CCD image enhancement, for identification of vasculature and monitoring of parenchymal oxygenation. This technique requires no additional laparoscopic operating room equipment and has real-time video capability.