[Robot-assisted surgery-the current state of radical prostatectomy]

Minimally invasive surgeries such as laparoscopic surgery and robot-assisted surgery have become validated treatment modalities and hold a prominent position in clinical practice. Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy(RARP)is a relatively new procedure. Because this technique does not require the urologist to overcome a steep and long learning curve, a dramatic increase in the number of RARP surgeries was observed in recent years and RARP has rapidly gained acceptance in the Japanese urological community after its introduction in Japan in 2006. Robot-assisted surgery that combines optical magnification, three-dimensional vision, and instruments with 7 degrees of freedom allows surgeons to perform meticulous, precise, and accurate movements. In summary, for the previously mentioned reasons, RARP is considered to be an effective procedure for improving intraoperative blood loss, the transfusion and complication rates, as well as the recovery of urinary continence and potency rates. In this article, we briefly describe the evolution of this minimally invasive technique. In addition, we present the current state of RARP and a critical evaluation of the learning curves associated with performing RARP as well as published oncological, continence, and potency outcomes.