Over the years, several techniques for performing robot-assisted prostatectomy have been implemented in an effort to achieve optimal oncological and functional outcomes.
To provide an evidence-based ...description and video-based illustration of currently available dissection techniques for robotic prostatectomy.
A literature search was performed to retrieve articles describing different surgical approaches and techniques for robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) and to analyze data supporting their use. Video material was provided by experts in the field to illustrate these approaches and techniques.
Multiple surgical approaches are available: extraperitoneal, transvesical, transperitoneal posterior, transperitoneal anterior, Retzius sparing, and transperineal. Surgical techniques for prostatic dissection sensu strictu are the following: omission of the endopelvic fascia dissection, bladder neck preservation, incremental nerve sparing by means of an antegrade or retrograde approach, and preservation of the puboprostatic ligaments and dorsal venous complex. Recently, techniques for total or partial prostatectomy have been described.
Different surgical approaches and techniques for robotic prostatectomy have been analyzed.
Two randomized controlled trials evaluating the extraperitoneal versus the transperitoneal approach have demonstrated similar results. Level I evidence on the Retzius-sparing approach demonstrated earlier return to continence than the traditional anterior approach. The question whether Retzius-sparing RARP is associated with a higher rate of positive surgical margins is still open due to the intrinsic bias in terms of surgical expertise in the available comparative studies. This technique also offers an advantage in patients who have received kidney transplantation. Retrospective evidence suggests that the more the anatomical dissection (eg., more periprostatic tissue is preserved), the better the functional outcome in terms of continence. Yet, two randomized controlled trials evaluating the different techniques of dissection have so far been produced. Partial prostatectomies should not be offered outside clinical trials.
Several techniques and approaches are available for prostate dissection during RARP. While the Retzius-sparing approach seems to provide earlier return to continence than the traditional anterior transperitoneal approach, no technique has been proved to be superior to other(s) in terms of long-term outcomes in randomized studies.
We have summarized available approaches for the surgical treatment of prostate cancer. Specifically, we described the different techniques that can be adopted for the surgical removal of the prostate using robotic technology.
Intraoperative complications (ICs) are invariably underreported in urological surgery despite the recent endorsement of new classification systems. We aimed to provide a detailed overview of ICs ...during Retzius-sparing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RS-RARP).
We prospectively collected data from 1891 patients who underwent RS-RARP at a single high-volume European center from January 2010 to December 2022. ICs were collected based on surgery reports and categorized according to the Intraoperative Adverse Incident Classification (EAUiaiC). The quality criteria for accurate and comprehensive reporting of intraoperative adverse events proposed by the Intraoperative Complications Assessment and Reporting with Universal Standards (ICARUS) Global Surgical Collaboration Project were fulfilled. To better classify the role of the RS-RARP approach, ICs were classified into anesthesiologic and surgical ICs. Surgical ICs were further divided according to the timing of the complication in RARP-related ICs and ePNLD-related ICs.
Overall, 40 ICs were reported in 40 patients (2.1%). Ten out of thirteen ICARUS criteria were satisfied. According to EAUiaiC grading of ICs, 27 (67.5%), 7 (17.5%), 2 (5%), 2 (5%), and 2 (5%) patients experienced Grade 1, 2, 3, 4A, and 4B, respectively. When we classified the ICs, two cases (5%) were classified as anesthesiologic ICs. Among the 38 surgical ICs, 16 (42%) were ePNLD-related, and 22 (58%) were RARP-related. ICs led to seven (0.37%) post-operative sequelae (four non-permanent and three permanent). Patients who suffered ICs were significantly older (67 years vs. 65 years,
= 0.02) and had a higher median BMI (27.0 vs. 26.1,
= 0.01), but did not differ in terms of comorbidities or tumor characteristics (all
values ≥ 0.05).
Intraoperative complications during RS-RARP are relatively infrequent, but should not be underestimated. Patients suffering from ICs are older, have a higher body mass index, a higher rate of intraoperative blood transfusion, and a longer length of stay.
Retzius-sparing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RS-RARP) allows the preservation of the structures advocated to play a crucial role in the continence mechanism. This study aims to evaluate the ...association between adjuvant radiation therapy (aRT) and urinary continence (UC) recovery after RS-RARP. For the purpose of the current study, all patients submitted to RS-RARP for prostate cancer (PCa) at a single high-volume European institution between January 2010 and December 2021 were identified. Only patients that harbored pT2 stage with positive surgical margins or pT3/pN1 stage with or without positive surgical margins were included in the analyses. Two groups of patients were identified as follows: patients who had undergone aRT and patients submitted to observation (no-aRT patients). As per definition, aRT was delivered within 1–6 months after surgery. After 1:1 propensity score matching, 124 aRT patients were compared with 124 no-aRT patients who continued standard follow-up protocol after surgery. UC recovery was 81 vs. 84% in aRT vs. no-aRT patients (p = 0.7). In multivariable Cox regression analyses, aRT did not reach the independent predictor status for UC recovery at 12 months. In the subgroup analysis including only aRT patients, only the nerve-sparing technique was independently associated with UC recovery at 12 months. Conversely, the type of aRT (IMRT/VMAT vs. 3D-CRT) did not reach the independent predictor status for UC recovery at 12 months. The current study is the first to address the association between aRT and UC recovery in patients treated with RS-RARP for PCa. Based on our data, aRT is not associated with worse UC recovery. In the cohort of patients treated with aRT, the nerve-sparing technique independently predicted UC recovery.
Bladder cancer is the ninth most common type of cancer worldwide. In the past, radical cystectomy via open surgery has been considered the gold-standard treatment for muscle invasive bladder cancer. ...However, in recent years there has been a progressive increase in the use of robot-assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy. The aim of the current project is to investigate the surgical, oncological, and functional outcomes of patients with bladder cancer who undergo radical cystectomy comparing three different surgical techniques (robotic-assisted, laparoscopic, and open surgery). Pre-, peri- and post-operative factors will be examined, and participants will be followed for a period of up to 24 months to identify risks of mortality, oncological outcomes, hospital readmission, sexual performance, and continence.
We describe a protocol for an observational, prospective, multicenter, cohort study to assess patients affected by bladder neoplasms undergoing radical cystectomy and urinary diversion. The Italian Radical Cystectomy Registry is an electronic registry to prospectively collect the data of patients undergoing radical cystectomy conducted with any technique (open, laparoscopic, robotic-assisted). Twenty-eight urology departments across Italy will provide data for the study, with the recruitment phase between 1st January 2017-31st October 2020. Information is collected from the patients at the moment of surgical intervention and during follow-up (3, 6, 12, and 24 months after radical cystectomy). Peri-operative variables include surgery time, type of urinary diversion, conversion to open surgery, bleeding, nerve sparing and lymphadenectomy. Follow-up data collection includes histological information (e.g., post-op staging, grading, and tumor histology), short- and long-term outcomes (e.g., mortality, post-op complications, hospital readmission, sexual potency, continence etc).
The current protocol aims to contribute additional data to the field concerning the short- and long-term outcomes of three different radical cystectomy surgical techniques for patients with bladder cancer, including open, laparoscopic, and robot-assisted. This is a comparative-effectiveness trial that takes into account a complex range of factors and decision making by both physicians and patients that affect their choice of surgical technique.
ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT04228198 . Registered 14th January 2020- Retrospectively registered.
Purpose We identified the predictors of positive surgical margins in a series of patients undergoing robot assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Materials and Methods We prospectively ...collected data from 322 patients who underwent robot assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer between April 2005 and October 2008, and who had not received any prior hormonal therapy. Results Positive surgical margins were observed in 95 cases (29.5%). Specifically positive surgical margins were at the apex in 22 cases (6.8%), anterior in 5 (1.6%) and posterolateral in 68 (21%). Among the preoperative variables prostate volume on transrectal ultrasound (HR 0.420, p = 0.002) and cT stage (HR 2.217, p = 0.008) were independent predictors of the presence of any positive surgical margin in the cohort while cT stage (HR 2.070, p = 0.025) and biopsy Gleason score (p = 0.019) were predictors of posterolateral positive surgical margins. Considering pathological variables only extraprostatic extension of the primary tumor was an independent predictor of any positive surgical margin (HR 11.852, p <0.001) and posterolateral positive surgical margins (HR 7.484, p <0.001) in the series. Of those patients with organ confined disease positive surgical margins were present in 21 (10.6%). Only perineural invasion was an independent predictor of any positive surgical margin (HR 4.096, p = 0.028) while a not statistically significant trend was identified with regard to posterolateral positive surgical margins (HR 6.938, p = 0.067). Conclusions Pathological extension of the primary tumor was the most relevant predictor of positive surgical margins. In patients with organ confined disease the presence of perineural invasion was significantly associated with positive surgical margins.
To describe operatory room (OR) setting, trocar placement, surgical technique and perioperative outcomes of retroperitoneal (rRAPN) and transperitoneal (tRAPN) robot-assisted partial nephrectomy with ...the Hugo™ robot-assisted surgical (RAS) system.
We present our prospective, series of the first ten consecutive patients submitted to either rRAPN or tRAPN with the Hugo™ RAS system (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) at ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy, between April 2023 and June 2023. The outcomes of interest were to describe the OR setting, trocar placement and the performance of this novel robotic system. Pre, intra and post-operative variables were recorded. A descriptive analysis was performed.
Overall, ten patients underwent RAPN with the Hugo™ RAS system, of which two were rRAPN (one left and one right renal mass) and eight tRAPN (two left, five right, one bilateral). Median (interquartile range, IQR) tumor size was 2.75 cm, with a median PADUA score of 7 (7,9). Median time from first trocar placement to console was 20 (15, 23) minutes, median console time was 136 (100, 159) minutes, and median operative time was 185 (170, 232) minutes. No intra-operative complications were recorded. Four post-operative complications were reported: one patient developed acute kidney injury (AKI, Clavien-Dindo 1), one patient required a longer hospital stay due to chylous production from the drain after hilar lymphadenectomy (Clavien-Dindo 2) and two pneumothoraxes (Clavien-Dindo 3a). Median (IQR) hospital stay was 5 (3,7) days. At final pathology, clear cell RCC, papillary RCC, chromophobe RCC and oncocytoma were found in respectively seven (70 %), one (10 %), one (10 %), and one (10 %) patients, with T1a, T1b and T3a (perirenal fat invasion) stages in six (60 %), three (30 %) and one (10 %) patients, respectively.
This video article illustrates the steps of both rRAPN and tRAPN with the Hugo™ RAS system. Our preliminary results demonstrate that both rRAPN and tRAPN are feasible with this novel robotic platform. Future large case series with long-term follow-up are needed to understand whether Hugo™ RAS system represents a true alternative to Intuitive platforms for nephron-sparing surgery.
Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) with a Retzius-sparing approach is safe also in high-risk prostate cancer patients. It represents a valid alternative to standard RARP, allowing optimal ...cancer control and functional outcomes.
Retzius-sparing (RS) robot-assisted radical prostatectomy represents a valid surgical treatment option for prostate cancer (PCa) patients. However, the available evidence on the role of RS in high-risk (HR) PCa setting is sparse.
To describe our RS technique for HR-PCa patients and to evaluate intra-, peri-, and postoperative oncological and functional outcomes.
A total of 340 D’Amico HR-PCa patients underwent RS at a single high-volume centre between 2011 and 2020.
Surgical procedures were performed by five experienced robotic surgeons.
Complications were collected according to the standardised methodology proposed by the European Association of Urology guidelines. Postoperative outcomes were evaluated in patients with complete follow-up data (n = 320). Biochemical recurrence (BCR) was defined as two consecutive prostate-specific antigen values of ≥0.2 ng/ml. Urinary continence (UC) recovery was defined as the use of zero or one safety pad. Kaplan-Meier and multivariable logistic and Cox regression models were performed.
Fourteen patients (4%) experienced intraoperative complications and 52 90-d complications occurred in 44 patients (14%), of whom 24 had Clavien-Dindo 3a/b. Final pathology reported 49% International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grade 4–5, 55% ≥pT3a, and 28.8% positive surgical margins (PSMs; 9.4% focal and 19.4% extended PSMs). The median follow-up was 47 mo. Overall, 35.3% and 1.3% harboured BCR and died from PCa. At 4 yr of follow-up, BCR-free survival and additional treatment-free survival were 63.6% and 56.6%, respectively. ISUP 4–5 at biopsy (odds ratio OR: 2.6), prostate volume (OR: 1.03), partial or full nerve sparing (OR: 1.9), and full bladder neck preservation (OR: 2.2) were independent predictors of PSMs. Pathological ISUP 4–5 (hazard ratio HR: 1.5) and PSMs (HR: 2.3) were independent predictors of BCR. Pathological ISUP 4–5 (HR: 1.5), PSMs (HR: 2.4), pT ≥3b (HR: 1.8), and pN ≥1 (HR: 1.8) were independent predictors of additional treatment. Immediate UC recovery was recorded in 53% patients. The 1- and 2-yr UC recovery and erectile function recovery were, respectively, 84% and 85%, and 43% and 50%.
RS in HR-PCa patients allows optimal intra-, peri-, and postoperative outcomes. The RS approach should be considered a valid surgical treatment option for HR-PCa patients in expert hands.
Relying on the largest cohort of high-risk prostate cancer patients treated with Retzius sparing (RS), we observed that the RS approach is safe and allows optimal cancer control, without significantly compromising functional outcomes.
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