[Quality control in the implementation of new surgical procedures: Da Vinci robot-assisted systems]

Robot assistance in the surgical treatment of urological malignancies is gaining increasing importance. As is the case in already established surgical procedures, the quality of robot-assisted surgery needs to be controlled and evaluated by appropriate measures. Baseline-parameters of treated patients should be documented precisely. General and operation type-specific parameters should be evaluated in short- as well as in mid-term follow-up. Appropriate and validated instruments should be used. Only by using these measures will it be possible to compare robot-assisted procedures of different institutions and historical data of conventional surgery with regard to oncological and functional efficacy.