Robotic prostatectomy

Abstract

In the USA, approximately 77,000 radical prostatectomies are performed yearly for the treatment of prostate cancer. Although a number of alternative treatment options are available for organ-confined prostate cancer, retropubic radical prostatectomy (RRP) remains the gold standard demonstrating a reduction in disease-specific mortality for affected patients. However, the procedure has inherent morbidity associated with it. Therefore, less invasive surgical techniques have been sought; one such alternative is robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP). In recent years RALP has become a forerunner in treatment options, yielding comparable medium-term perioperative and functional outcomes. Robotic-assisted prostatectomy has allowed urologists to enter the realm of minimally invasive surgery by incorporating open-surgery movements to a laparoscopic environment. Current RALP data from several series yield perioperative and functional outcomes comparable to the gold standard. However, long-term data is needed in order to establish its true efficacy. Using MEDLINE we performed a search for publications on perioperative and functional outcomes related to RALP. We present a review of the available literature. © 2008 Springer-Verlag London.