The nephrectomy is a surgical procedure consisting of total or partial removal of the kidney that aims at treating kidney cancer, or other diseases that severely damage the kidneys. This type of surgery can also be a donor nephrectomy that has as a sole purpose the removal of a healthy kidney from a donor. There are two types of nephrectomy surgeries, namely open nephrectomies that require a single large incision in the abdominal wall, or the more popular laparoscopies that are minimally invasive surgeries consisting of a series of small incisions.