Has anyone had a rib removed during kidney surgery?

I do not think I did. They removed my kidney and ureter back in 1964. There were no treatments then. Maybe something newer in technique? My son had right kudney cancer last January and they removed his adrenal glsnd, fat around the kidney and his renal vein. He had a year of Keytruda. He is doing well, praise God!
Ask your surgeon and doctors why for a direct answer.

@susanris
Thank you Susan. Have a great day.

@dltorres, a rib may sometimes need to be removed to perform an open nephrectomy. For some people the nephrectomy can be done using laparoscopic surgery (also called minimally invasive surgery) to remove the kidney.

Are you preparing for a nephrectomy (removal of a kidney)?

For kidney surgery nowadays, it is generally not necessary to remove a rib. I had a left nephrectomy in January 2025, and the procedure was performed laparoscopically. To remove the kidney, the surgeon made a horizontal incision in the lower abdomen rather than removing a rib. As a result, no rib removal was required during the surgery.

@colleenyoung
Yes. Had my left kidney removed Monday. The possible rib removal was in the paperwork prior to surgery.
Thank you for responding.

@muniraj
Thank you for responding.

@dltorres, how is recovery going? Any tips you wish to share about preparing for surgery?

@colleenyoung,
Morning Colleen, recovery is going good. The first week was a bit hard, but started to get easier after that. Restrictions on movements; No bending, twisting, lifting & walking under 1/4 mile a day for 4-6 weeks is most difficult. Pain is controlled with meds. Follow up appointment is in 3 days. Really hoping for some restrictions to be lifted. I spent two days in City Of Hope cancer center hospital. They were great. It’s a good idea to clean your house, laundry, Grocery shop, yard work before surgery & Anything else that the restrictions will keep you from doing during recovery. And wear something comfortable on your abdomen to leave the hospital in. I was surprised by how swollen my abdomen was. Really swollen. Lost a little weight after surgery. So as a stop loss method, I eat ice cream every day😁.