The Kidney

The kidney filters blood of its waste products, creating urine, and also helps regulate blood pressure, red blood cell production, pH levels, and fluid volume. Most people are born with two kidneys and those that are born with one kidney will have adequate renal function. The kidneys are in the abdominal cavity on each side of the spine with the top of the kidneys being protected by the lower ribs. The kidneys are bean shaped and about the size of a fist. “What is a kidney?” is usually the first question most people ask when the doctor finds a kidney mass and “What is a nephrectomy?” is the second question that is asked.

The kidney consists of blood vessels that divide and become smaller and smaller all the way down to microscopic filters called nephrons, and glomeruli. The kidney can be looked at as a reprocessing organ because while 180 liters of blood runs through the kidneys each day, it reabsorbs 178 liters and only secretes 2 liters of urine which is mostly water with a little urea and uric acid. Kidneys are vital organs, which means, we need them to stay alive. If the kidneys do not secrete and reabsorb correctly it may be a sign of a serious kidney disorder, this is analyzed with blood and urine tests.

“The kidney” website is brought to you by urology specialists to help guide you in making the right decisions about your kidney health. While the kidney is susceptible to many disorders the urologist is the one to help you with renal cell carcinoma  (kidney cancer/cancer rinon), kidney stones treatment (calculos renales), a detached or obstructed uretero-pelvic junction, and pyelonephritis (kidney infection). Kidney stone surgery (calculo renal) is performed with a Holmium laser, a basket, and a lithotripsy machine.

Kidney cancer treatment has just recently changed its standard of removing the entire kidney in a procedure called radical nephrectomy (nefrectomia) to removing multiple tumors from the kidney in a multiple partial nephrectomy procedure. The National Institute of Health NIH and the National Cancer Institute NCI have started training urologists in this new procedure and it has been found to give the patients better renal function.  The patients receiving the traditional radical nephrectomy have been found to have a 25% increased risk of cardiac death and a 17% increased risk of death from any cause, compared to patients that receive partial nephrectomies. Only 3% of the urologists in the United States are trained to perform this multiple tumor removal partial nephrectomy. Dr. Maximiliano Sorbellini, who is with the Urology Specialists group, is one of only a handful of doctors that performs this unique multiple tumor partial nephrectomy robotically (da Vinci surgery). So instead of losing the entire kidney with an open kidney surgery, which is often the case, the kidney can be saved and the surgery would be a minimally invasive procedure with less blood loss, less pain, less scarring and a faster recovery time.

The kidney has other disorders that need to be monitored if they are found present such as diabetes and high blood pressure because they disrupt the renal function in both of the kidneys and may end up causing renal failure. If the kidneys fail then dialysis or a kidney transplant is needed. Polycystic kidney disease is another disorder that can damage the kidneys because as time goes by more and more cysts grow in the kidney which reduces kidney function. Injuries to the kidney, toxins, and medications can also ruin renal function and even shut down the kidney(s). The other sections of this website will cover the kidney doctors, the kidney symptoms, the kidney tests, the kidney cancer surgery, and the kidney stone surgery. If you would like to ask the doctor specific questions you can go to our blog. If you would like an appointment for the time and day that fits your schedule you can do that online or call for an appointment at 305 822 7227. With two locations in South Florida, you can request an appointment near you. Our international phone numbers are: Argentina: 6090-2397, Chile: 581.3467, Colombia: 508.2419, Mexico: 4624.2465, Panama: 836.5419, and Venezuela: 335.5080

The Kidney (continued)