LAPAROSCOPY IN UROLOGY: OUR EXPERIENCES IN 52 CASES

Laparoscopic attempts are getting more widely used in every day; and are still newly entering in different fields on changing indications. However it is widely used in diagnosis and treatment of nonpalpable testis, it is obvious that other urologic laparoscopic attempts are not routine yet.

Between July 1996-March 2001, laparoscopic attempts were applied to 52 cases. Indications of operations were nonpalpable testis in 42 cases, bilateral varicocele in two cases, renal cyst in two cases, upper ureteral stone in three cases, mid-ureteral stone in one case and kidney stone in two cases. Nonpalpable testis was founded bilaterally in twelve cases and other thirty of them were unilateral. Operations were performed transperitonally in fortyfive cases and retroperitoneally in seven cases. Bilateral abdominal testis are placed scrotal cavity by two steps operation. If testes were founded at exploration in unilateral cases, orchiectomy was performed. Operation time on nonpalpable testis was 15 to 60 minutes (Average 20 minutes). It was 120 to 150 minutes in the kidney stone. It was 70, 100 and 110 minutes on ureter stone. No major complications were seen related to the Laparoscopic method. Open surgery was performed in two cases.

Laparoscopy in urology was founded very effective and confident on the treatment and the diagnosis of nonpalpable testis. If compared with open surgery, laparoscopy provides shorter staying time in hospital, less pain, and shorter operation time so these accelerate its selectibility. When using laparoscopy in the other fields of urology; we noticed that it requires more experience, more patience and longer operation time than equvalant operations. We agree that nonpalpable testes is an appropriate indication for the urologists who is just starting to laparoscopic surgery and it must be the first step for beginning to complicated surgeries in urology.