Feasibility of robotic radical nephrectomy--initial results of single-institution pilot study

To report our initial experience and the utility of the da Vinci surgical robotic system (DSRS) for performing robotic radical nephrectomy (RRN). The DSRS has been increasingly evaluated to determine its feasibility for assisting surgeons in major urologic procedures.

The perioperative outcomes of the first five RRNs performed at our institution were analyzed to establish the safety and utility of the DSRS in performing RRN.

Five male patients with a median age of 72 years (range 45 to 78) underwent RRN. The median body mass index, operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative decrease in hemoglobin, postoperative rise in serum creatinine, postoperative morphine use, hospital stay, kidney size, and tumor size was 28 (range 20.9 to 32.9), 321 minutes (range 246 to 437), 150 mL (range 25 to 1500), 1.4 g/dL (range 0.2 to 3.5), 0.6 mg/dL (range 0.5 to 0.7), 28 mg (range 10 to 212), 3 days (range 1 to 5), 430 cm3 (range 158 to 1387), and 66 cm3 (range 29 to 120), respectively. One RRN was converted to hand-assisted laparoscopy because of bleeding from the left renal vein. No perioperative morbidities or mortalities occurred. The final pathologic examination revealed conventional clear cell carcinoma in 4 patients (1 with pT1a, 2 with pT1b, and 1 with T3a) and a benign cyst in 1 patient.

The results of our study have confirmed that RRN is a feasible and viable alternative for performing radical nephrectomy. A larger randomized study incorporating cost and outcome comparisons with laparoscopic and open radical nephrectomy is needed before wider application of RRN.