Which procedure involves altering the patient's position to facilitate access to the kidney?

The procedure that involves altering the patient's position to facilitate access to the kidney is nephrectomy. During nephrectomy, the surgeon removes a kidney, which may require specific positioning of the patient to optimize access to the surgical site. One common position used for this operation is the flank position, which allows the surgeon to approach the kidney through an incision in the side of the body. Proper positioning is crucial to enhance visibility and accessibility to the target organ, thereby facilitating a more effective surgical procedure.

In contrast, thoracotomy typically involves accessing the chest cavity and does not focus on the kidney. Laparoscopy refers to minimally invasive techniques that might involve different positioning depending on the abdominal organs being addressed, but it does not primarily focus on altering the position specifically for kidney access. Kidney transplantation, while it also involves surgical access to the kidney area, generally does not necessitate the same position changes as nephrectomy, since it involves placing a new kidney into the recipient's body.