[Laparoscopic pelvic surgery: Where do we stand in the year 2006?]

Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy has become an equivalent alternative to the open retropubic approach, offering the advantages of minimally invasive surgery. It is being applied increasingly in Germany and the rest of Europe. Whether the surgical robot da Vinci will be used for this procedure to the same extent as in the United States is unpredictable because of high investment and maintenance costs. Similarly, laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy has proven to be a viable option compared to open transabdominal or transvaginal surgery, showing a significant reduction in postoperative morbidity. The value of radical cystectomy is controversial despite proven feasability. On one hand, the technical difficulties of purely laparoscopic urinary diversion result in very long operating times, and in the case of the laparoscopically assisted creation of a neobladder, the advantage of this approach has to be questioned. On the other hand, a maximum rate of 30% of local recurrences and distant metastases indicates at least poor patient selection. In conclusion, this procedure should be limited to a few experienced centers.