Robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for recurrent renal-cell carcinoma in patients previously treated...

With the advent of robotics, it may be more feasible to offer minimally invasive nerve-sparing surgery (NSS), in the form of partial nephrectomy (PN), for patients with metachronous recurrence in the ipsilateral kidney after previous NSS. We studied the outcomes of patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (RAPN) after previous ipsilateral open or laparoscopic NSS for renal-cell carcinoma.

In this Institutional Review Board approved study, a prospectively maintained PN database was reviewed. Of 230 RAPNs performed between 2003 and 2011, five patients underwent RAPN after previous ipsilateral NSS.

The mean age was 64.2 years, and time between the first and second surgery was 27 months (range 9-60 mos). All patients were men and previously had open (n=4) or laparoscopic (n=1) NSS for clear-cell (n=2), papillary (n=2), and other (n=1) pathology. Average follow-up was 15.6 months (range 8-21 mos). There were no conversions to open surgery or radical nephrectomy. Total and selective arterial clamping were performed in two and two cases, respectively. One RAPN was performed off-clamp. Mean warm ischemia time was 14 minutes (range 0-32 min), and mean blood loss was 220 mL (range 50-400 mL). Average length of stay was 1.4 days (range 1-2 days) with no perioperative complications. The glomerular filtration rate decreased by a mean of 10%. There were no recurrences detected on cross-sectional imaging at the most recent follow-up.

RAPN after previous open or laparoscopic PN is safe and efficacious. It offers satisfactory intermediate functional and oncologic outcomes with minimal morbidity.