Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy: Is it advantageous and safe to clamp the renal artery?

LPN without vascular clamping is feasible in selected cases. However, clamping of the artery seems to be associated with reduced blood loss and a lower incidence of positive margins. Moreover, according to the postoperative dimercaptosuccinic acid scan findings, limited warm ischemia does not seem to result in permanent renal damage. We suggest that clamping of the renal artery should be considered during LPN, even for very small, superficial tumors.