Robot-assisted Kidney Transplantation: The 8-year European Experience.

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Transplant Surgery
• Minimally Invasive Surgery

Background:

• Limited evidence exists on perioperative and long-term functional outcomes of robotic-assisted kidney transplantation (RAKT).
• This study evaluates RAKT in patients receiving kidney transplants from living donors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the perioperative surgical results of RAKT.
• To evaluate the long-term functional outcomes of RAKT.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of a prospective multicenter cohort study (July 2015-October 2023) across ten European centers.
• Included 624 patients undergoing heterotopic RAKT from living donors.
• Assessed outcomes including renal function (eGFR), perioperative complications (Clavien-Dindo classification), and survival rates (5-yr cumulative incidence).

Main Results:

• Low rates of intraoperative complications (1.1%) and graft nephrectomy (1.9%).
• High-grade early (7.7%) and late (2.3%) postoperative complications were infrequent.
• Excellent long-term renal function with median eGFR reaching 53 ml/min/1.73 m² at 6 months; low rates of dialysis (17 patients) and mortality (4 patients) over 23 months median follow-up.

Conclusions:

• RAKT demonstrates significant perioperative safety and excellent long-term functional outcomes.
• The findings support the broader adoption of RAKT as a viable kidney transplantation option.
• The minimally invasive nature of RAKT offers substantial benefits.