Tubercular pyelonephritic nonfunctioning kidney--another relative contraindication for laparoscopic nephrectomy: a case report.

We present a case of tubercular pyelonephritic nonfunctioning kidney in which laparoscopic nephrectomy was attempted. The kidney was very difficult to mobilize due to dense perinephric adhesions and subsequently the procedure was converted to an open nephrectomy. Tubercular pyelonephritic kidney is a relative contraindication to laparoscopic approach as its dissection is difficult and fraught with potential complications such as leakage of caseous material into the peritoneal cavity and systemic dissemination of the disease.