Current evidence on lasers in laparoscopy: partial nephrectomy.

INTRODUCTION

Laser-assisted partial nephrectomy (PN) can benefit from the excellent coagulative properties of lasers to provide a bloodless tumor excision without the necessity for renal artery clamping. In this review, we aim to determine the current clinical implementation of laser assistance during laparoscopic nephron-sparing surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An extensive literature evaluation on laser-assisted PN was performed. Experimental work on animals and review articles were excluded.

RESULTS

Current literature regarding laser-assisted PN is scarce. Available data consist mostly of small cohorts providing low level of evidence. Even though initial studies with currently available laser modalities demonstrated promising results, several drawbacks in each technique need to be addressed before being widely accepted as a standard care.

CONCLUSIONS

Experience with laser-assisted laparoscopic PN is steadily increasing and uniformly documenting favorable results. As urologist became more familiar with laser technology by its implementation in other clinical entities and with the increasing interest in nephron-sparing management of renal tumors, the use of laser assistance during PN should be expected to play a major role in future.