Hand-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy after 60 cases: comparison with open partial nephrectomy

Background Partial nephrectomy is the surgical standard of care for favorably located, small renal tumors. As the incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and detection of small kidney masses have increased over the past 20 years, minimally invasive management of these lesions has become more common. We report our single-institution experience with hand-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (HALPN) compared with open partial nephrectomy (OPN).