Bariatric Surgery Uncovers a Fortunate Kidney Tumor Find

Matt Kleinschmidt knew gastric sleeve surgery would help him lose significant pounds and give him the energy to keep up with both his newborn son and his entertainment industry career working with bands and comedians. But he didn’t anticipate it would save his life in another way, too.

Alexander Abkin, M.D., medical director of Bariatric Surgery at JFK University Medical Center, who performed Matt’s surgery, explains that rapid weight loss can cause painful gallstones. “We have a standard protocol where we put patients on medication to reduce the risk of gallstones from 30 percent to 5 percent,” he says. “But to be on the safe side, we do an ultrasound of the right upper quadrant one year after surgery, where the gallbladder is, as well as the nearby liver and kidneys.”

Adds Matt: “It’s a wild story. I went for a one-year follow-up with Dr. Abkin right before the holidays, and the routine ultrasound they did to check my gallbladder found a mass on my kidney.”

Matt was referred to urologist Michael Lasser, M.D., director of robotic surgery at JFK, who confirmed the mass with a CT scan, then ordered an extensive workup with an oncologist, including a PET scan, a biopsy and other tests. – Click here to read to full article.

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