Nephrectomy and Extracorporeal Renal Preservation: Technical Details

Nephrectomy and extracorporeal renal surgery followed by renal autotransplantation must be considered a major surgical intervention. Therefore, a thorough preoperative evaluation of the patients general state of health is required with special emphasis on the cardiopulmonary status. Electrocardiography and chest X-ray should be performed in all patients over fifty. In patients with diabetes or atherosclerosis of the aorta or renal arteries, symptomatic or asymptomatic concomitant coronary heart disease should be excluded, as described in Chap. 10.