Guidance
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued full guidance to the NHS in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on laparoscopic live donor simple nephrectomy.
Description
Laparoscopic nephrectomy is used to harvest kidneys from live donors. It can be performed via a retroperineal approach or a transperitoneal approach, but the transperitoneal approach is preferred because it allows more laparoscopic working space and also makes it easier to remove the kidney from the abdomen through a less painful midline incision. The procedure involves the insertion of laparoscopic instruments through the abdominal skin, insufflation of carbon dioxide and removal of a kidney, usually that on the left side.
Coding and clinical classification codes for this guidance