Use of water jet resection in renal surgery: Early clinical experiences

Objective: Various surgical techniques have been developed to reduce the ri sk of bleeding during dissection of renal tissue. Water jet technology has been designed for a gentle transection of parenchymal organs. We report abo ut first experiences with a new water jet resection device in kidney surger y. Methods: 7 patients underwent open surgery because of renal cell carcinoma or nephrolithiasis. In tumor patients a partial nephrectomy, in 1 stone pat ient a nephrolithotomy, and in the other 1 a lower pole resection were perf ormed. Results: By means of water jet resection tissue was dissected effectively a voiding damage to the vascular structures, which were then ligated selectiv ely. Resection time was between 14 and 30 min with a minimal intraoperative blood loss. No significant problem was seen postoperatively. Conclusions: The results demonstrate that water jet technology is an applic able tool for transection of renal parenchyma. It has been shown to reduce the risk of blood loss significantly compared to other techniques. Copyrigh t (C) 2000 S. Karger AG. Basel.