Hand-assisted laparoscopy in urology.

Hand-assisted laparoscopy (HAL) allows surgeons direct hand contact with the operative field, maximizing tactile feedback and minimizing surgical injury to the patient. Indications for HAL include radical, donor, and partial nephrectomies, nephroureterectomy, and, most recently, dismembered pyeloplasties. The advantages of HAL surgical techniques in comparative experience with standard laparoscopic technique are described.