[Two cases of gravity dependent atelectasis after laparoscopic nephrectomy].

Two patients developed postoperative pulmonary atelectasis after receving laparoscopic nephrectomy in the lateral kidney position. In both patients, the trachea was intubated with a single lumen tube and the lateral kidney position was kept over 9 hours. Because the pulmonary atelectasis had developed on the lower side of the lungs, we considered it as the gravity dependent atelectasis (GDA). We have also described treatments and prophylaxis for GDA in this case report.