Alteration of body configuration after retroperitoneoscopic nephrectomy and nephroureterectomy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate objective alterations of body configuration in patients who treated with retroperitoneoscopic nephrectomy (RN) and retroperitoneoscopy-assisted nephroureterectomy (RAN). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients who had RN and 23 RAN were eligible for the study. Abdominal computed tomography films before and after surgery were evaluated. The intra-abdominal content surrounded by the vertebral bones and the muscles forming the trunk of the body were divided into four subspaces. The areas of these four portions were measured, and the ratio of occupation of each portion calculated before compared with that obtained after surgery. RESULTS: While RAN had little impact on body configuration, RN significantly affected it; after RN the total area and area of ventral subspaces decreased homogeneously throughout the L2-L4 levels. The ipsilaterodorsal subspace had a marked cranial decrease in area and no caudal alteration. CONCLUSIONS: While RAN has little effect on body configuration, RN has a significant effect, as measured objectively. Continuing the skin incision between ports and muscle splitting to extract the specimen is probably responsible for the difference between the findings of RAN and RN.