This procedure was performed by Dr Baldev Singh Aulakh, professor of Urology and Head of Transplant Surgery. The patient was a 45-year-old male presented with the complaint of blood in urine for the past few months.

CT scan showed a cancer in the middle and upper pole of the left kidney. Thus the patient was planned for “laparoscopic removal of left kidney as well as adrenal gland. A team of surgeons headed by Dr Baldev Singh Aulakh and also including Dr Amit Mahajan, Dr Tejpal Singh Gill and Dr Muninder Singh Randhawa performed the operation. Dr Geeta and Dr Namrata provided the anaesthesia. The surgery was performed via three small openings in the abdominal wall through which the operating laparoscope and various operating instruments were inserted.

The operative removal of such a tumor-bearing kidney is highly technical and challenging as the kidney has to be removed without disturbing its coverings to prevent the spread of tumor cells. Combined with the removal of adrenal gland, this surgery becomes even more challenging and is thus categorised as highly advanced laparoscopic surgery. The surgery was completed successfully and the tumor-bearing kidney was removed along with the adrenal gland thus achieving complete surgical and oncological clearance of the tumor.

The laparoscopic technique is a less invasive surgical procedure employing a long, slender optical instrument inserted through a small incision in the abdominal wall to allow visualisation on a television monitor and to guide the entire surgical procedure. Laparoscopic surgery reduces recovery times, gives better cosmesis and has other advantages as well.