Purpose: To report the use of the hand-assisted laparoscopic (HAL) technique for removal of a horseshoe kidney in a patient with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).
Case report: Hospital and outpatient records were reviewed for a 65-year-old man with end-stage renal disease secondary to ADPKD who underwent HAL bilateral nephrectomy of his horseshoe kidney in preparation for kidney transplantation. The surgical method is described. It was completed successfully with an operative time of 280 minutes and an estimated blood loss of 350 mL.
Conclusion: Bilateral HAL nephrectomy can be considered as an option for surgical removal of very large polycystic horseshoe kidneys.