[Prospective study and comparative of surgical and oncologic outcome between laparoscopic and retropubical radical...

Radical prostatectomy (RP) is a potentially healing surgical procedure.

We evaluate and compare the surgical and oncologic outcomes between laparoscopic and retropubical radical prostatectomy in the Urology Department in DIPRECA Hospital.

We constructed a nonrandomised, prospective study between january 2003 and march 2007. A total of 115 patients, 56 operated laparoscopically and 59 by retropubical RP. Functional and oncologic results were compared according to standardized variables and their corresponding statistical analysis, for which we used SPSS 12.0 program.

Mean operation time was 202,5 minutes for laparoscopic RP and 150,5 for retropubical RP (p<0.0001). Retropubical RP required more blood transfusions (p<0.0001), longer hospital stay (p=0,0073) and longer need for vesical catheter (p=0,0001) than laparoscopic RP. There were 23 complications, 15 attributable to laparoscopic RP. We found no significant differences in postsurgical sexual function and urinary continence. In respect to the oncologic variables, we found no statistically relevant differences in positive surgical margins nor biochemical relapse during follow up.

We found no significant differences between retropubical and laparoscopic RP in the oncologic and functional variables analyzed. Nevertheless, our experience shows a distinct benefit in favour of the laparoscopic approach in relation to bleeding and recovery rate. Though retropubical RP has a shorter operating time, we believe this variable depends on the learning curve still developing for laparoscopic RP. According to our literary review, this is the first publication in Chile that compares both techniques.