In August 2005, Dr Michael Blute at the Mayo Clinic reported that open nephron-sparing surgery remains the 'gold standard' for open surgery for kidney tumors and should remain the first choice for many patients. This challenges the idea that less-invasive therapies are always more desirable than open surgery. While laparoscopic nephron-sparing surgery is feasible for small, easily accessible kidney tumors, for large tumors this is not always the case. Drs Sasidharan and Soloway have created a superb text covering all aspects of nephron-sparing surgery that should provide excellent guidance...