Pushing the Envelope: Laparoscopic Nephrectomy as Outpatient Surgery

Purpose of Review The purposes of this review were to identify the possible limiting factors prohibiting laparoscopic nephrectomy being performed as an outpatient surgery and optimize these limiting factors. Recent Findings Laparoscopic nephrectomy for patients who have kidney cancer can be performed as an outpatient surgery in well-selected, well-educated, and well-informed patients in a well-prepared hospital culture. Summary Patient confidence, pain, and hospital culture are the most important limiting factors to the performance of laparoscopic nephrectomy as an outpatient procedure. Controlling these factors leads to a high success rate for the outpatient procedure.