With the widespread use of computed tomography, the majority of renal tumors are diagnosed incidentally at lower grade and stage. Partial nephrectomy has become the preferred treatment for these organ-confined tumors. Compared with radical nephrectomy, partial nephrectomy is more difficult. Tumor features such as tumor size, depth, location and invasion of urinary collecting system affect the difficulty of resection. Classically, probability of resection has been determined subjectively. Recently, 3 methodologies have been proposed to provide standard, more objective preoperative assessment of tumor anatomy. These “nephrometry” systems include the R.E.N.A.L., PADUA, and C-index systems. These systems will be evaluated in this article.
Keywords: nephrometry, kidney cancer, partial nephrectomy