Case ‒ Laparoscopic transperitoneal partial nephrectomy of T3a renal cell carcinoma within a horseshoe kidney

Abstract

Horseshoe kidney (HSK) is a benign malformation characterized by three anatomic abnormalities: ectopia, malrotation, and vascular changes.1 Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) comprises approximately 53.8% of HSK malignancies. The incidence of RCC within HSK is predicted to equal that within the general population, approximately 5.2/100 000 individuals.2-4 Surgical resection of these tumors has been described in the literature. Evidence is mounting that partial nephrectomy, rather than radical nephrectomy, and minimally invasive techniques for T3a RCC is safe and attains equivalent oncologic outcomes.5,6 Review of the literature reveals no case reports of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for T3a RCC, and therefore, this is the first report of a laparoscopic partial nephrectomy of T3a RCC HSK with renal vein tumour thrombus.