Partial nephrectomy in solitary kidneys: comparison between open surgery and robotic-assisted laparoscopy on...

The management of solitary kidney tumors is a surgical challenge, requiring irreproachable results on both oncological and functional outcomes. The goal of our study was to compare the perioperative results of robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) to open surgery in this indication.

We led a multicentric study based on the prospectively maintained French national database UroCCR. Patients who underwent partial nephrectomy on a solitary kidney between 1988 and 2020 were included. Clinical and pathological data were retrospectively analyzed. The main outcome of the study was the analysis of the variation of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) calculated according to MDRD at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months depending on the chosen surgical approach. The secondary outcomes were the comparison of Trifecta success, perioperative complications, and length of hospital stay.

In total, 150 patients were included; 68 (45%) in the RAPN group and 82 (55%) in the open surgery group. The two groups were comparable for all data. The variation of eGFR at 3, 6, 12, or 24 months was comparable without any significant difference between the 2 groups (p = 0.45). Trifecta was achieved in 40% of the patients in the RAPN group and 33% in the open group (p = 0.42). A significant difference was observed for the length of stay, 5 days for the robot group versus 9 days for the open surgery group (p < 0.0001).

In our study, the surgical approach did not modify functional results and we noted a significant decrease in hospital stay and complications in the RAPN group. RAPN is a safe and efficient method for management of kidney tumors in solitary kidneys.