Nephrectomy
Disease Information
Overview
A nephrectomy is a surgical procedure to remove a kidney that is diseased or not functioning properly. This might seem like a drastic measure, but most people have a second, normally functioning kidney that can adequately meet the body's needs.
Sometimes, just a partial nephrectomy is performed, to remove a portion of a kidney.
Kidneys can be damaged for various reasons:
- blockage of the urinary tract from congenital causes or kidney stones
- kidney diseases such as hypertension, diabetes or cancer
- severe trauma
State-of-the-art treatment
Boston Children's Hospital is one of the few hospitals in the world to use robotic surgery technology to perform nephrectomy procedures. Minimally invasive robotic surgery reduces pain, results in smaller scars and gets your child home faster.
