Partial nephrectomy using a new dissecting instrument.

The kidney is made of friable parenchyma with flexible blood vessels and collecting system structures. A dissecting clamp with interlacing blunt teeth was designed that, by repeated action of closing and opening over the renal parenchyma, crushes and dissects away the friable tissue, leaving the blood vessels and collecting system structures intact. Thus, individual ligation of blood vessels and collecting system structures can be performed at the line of resection. We report our experience in 10 dogs and 1 patient in whom partial nephrectomy was performed with this instrument.