Robotic-assisted laparoscopic reconstructive surgery in the lower urinary tract

Open surgery has long been the most common surgical approach for the correction of congenital anomalies of the lower urinary tract in children. With the continued development of minimally invasive surgery in adult urology, including endoscopic, conventional, and robot-assisted laparoscopic approaches, the indications for minimally invasive surgery have similarly expanded in the pediatric population. The most commonly performed robotic procedure in children has been pyeloplasty for ureteropelvic junction obstruction; the use of robotics in complex reconstructive surgery in the lower urinary tract has also been acceptable. In this review, we summarize recent viewpoints regarding robotic-assisted laparoscopic reconstructive surgeries in the lower urinary tract, such as ureteral reimplantation, appendicovesicostomy, and augmentation enterocystoplasty in the pediatric population, and critically summarize the current knowledge on outcomes in the literature. We also discuss our technique and the outcomes of robotic ureteral reimplantation. This review demonstrates that robotic-assisted laparoscopic reconstructive surgeries in the lower urinary tract are technically feasible and may achieve outcomes that are equalto those of open surgery, with reduced morbidity.