Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 15, 2026
Robot-Assisted Kidney Transplantation
Published on: July 19, 2021
Evolution from laparoscopic to robotic nephron sparing surgery: a high-volume laparoscopic center experience on
Arie Carneiro1, Arjun Sivaraman1, Rafael Sanchez-Salas2
1Department of Urology, Institute Mutualiste Montsouris, 42, Boulevard Jourdan, 75674, Paris Cedex 14, France.
Objective:
To evaluate the transition from laparoscopic (LPN) to robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN) in our institution using 'trifecta' outcomes as surrogate marker of efficacy.
Patients And Methods:
We identified 347 patients (LPN = 303, RPN = 44) in our prospectively maintained PN database between 2000 and 2014. The patients were chronologically divided into G1-first 151 LPN cases, G2-subsequent 152 LPN cases and G3-all RPN patients. Trifecta outcomes were defined as warm ischemia time (WIT) ≤25 min, no positive surgical margin (PSM) and complications ≤Clavien 2. Multivariable logistic model was used to analyze the predictors of the trifecta outcomes.
Results:
The tumor complexity significantly increased from G1 to G3. We achieved lower WIT and less high-grade complication (Clavien ≥ 3) from G1 to G2, and the trend continued even with transition to RPN. PSM was consistently low throughout the transition. Renal functional outcomes always showed a significant positive trend, and with RPN, we achieved improved recovery of renal function (44 vs 57 vs 82 %, p < 0.05). The overall 'trifecta' rates increased significantly from G1 to G2 and reached 81.8 % in RPN (48 vs 75.6 vs 81 %, p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis has shown that the use of robot has significant effect on achieving overall trifecta. The limitations of the study are being retrospective and non-randomized, and the trifecta definitions were not externally validated.
Conclusions:
Our transition to RPN was essentially a continuation of our previous LPN experience as we continue to achieve higher 'trifecta' rates inspite of increasing tumor complexity.
