Robot-assisted radical cystectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection: a multi-institutional study from Korea

To report short-term retrospective perioperative and pathologic outcomes of the first robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) series in Korea.

Between April 2007 and August 2009, 104 nonconsecutive patients, including 22 women, underwent RARC across seven institutions. We evaluated the outcomes in these cases, including operative variables, hospital recovery, pathologic outcomes, and complication rate.

The mean age of all patients was 63.6 years (range 39-82 years), and the mean body mass index was 23.6 kg/m(2) (range 16.0-31.8 kg/m(2)). Among the 104 patients, 60 had an ileal conduit and 44 had an orthotopic neobladder. The mean total operative time was 554 minutes, and the mean blood loss was 526 mL. The time to flatus and bowel movement was about 3 days, and the time until hospital discharge was about 18 days. The mean number of lymph nodes removed were 18, and 10 patients had node metastatic disease on final pathologic evaluation. Postoperative complications occurred in 28 (26.9%) patients.

Our initial experience with RARC appears to be favorable with acceptable operative, pathologic, and short-term clinical outcomes. The current series suggests that RARC is becoming more prevalent, not only in Western countries, but also in Asian countries, just as robot-assisted radical prostatectomy has also gained widespread acceptance. Data from long-term, large, prospective, multicenter, ideally randomized comparative studies with open radical cystectomy are needed to confirm the outcome of the novel operation reported here.