The current status of robot-assisted cystectomy

Open versus Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy for the Treatment of pT4a Bladder Cancer: Comparison of Perioperative Outcomes

We compared the perioperative outcomes of open (ORC) vs. robot-assisted (RARC) radical cystectomy in the treatment of pT4a MIBC. In total, 212 patients underwent ORC (102 patients, Group A) vs. RARC (110 patients, Group B) for pT4a bladder cancer. Patients were prospectively followed and retrospectively reviewed. We assessed operative time, estimated blood loss (EBL), intraoperative and postoperative complications, length of stay, transfusion rate, and oncological outcomes. Preoperative features were comparable. The mean operative time was 232.8 vs. 189.2 min (p = 0.04), and mean EBL was 832.8 vs. 523.7 mL in Group A vs. B (p = 0.04). An intraoperative transfusion was performed in 32 (31.4%) vs. 11 (10.0%) cases during ORC vs. RARC (p = 0.03). The intraoperative complications rate was comparable. The mean length of stay was shorter after RARC (12.6 vs. 7.2 days, p = 0.02). Postoperative transfusions were performed in 36 (35.3%) vs. 13 (11.8%) cases (p = 0.03), and postoperative complications occurred in 37 (36.3%) vs. 29 (26.4%) patients in Groups A vs. B (p = 0.05). The positive surgical margin (PSM) rate was lower after RARC. No differences were recorded according to the oncological outcomes. ORC and RARC are feasible treatments for the management of pT4a bladder tumors. Minimally invasive surgery provides shorter operative time, bleeding, transfusion rate, postoperative complications, length of stay, and PSM rate.

Comparing the safety and efficacy of single-port versus multi-port robotic-assisted techniques in urological surgeries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Comparing the safety and efficacy of single-port (SP) versus multi-port (MP) robotic-assisted techniques in urological surgeries.

METHODS

A systematic review and cumulative meta-analysis was performed using PRISMA criteria for primary outcomes of interest, and quality assessment followed AMSTAR. Four databases were systematically searched: Embase, PubMed, The Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. The search time range is from database creation to December 2022. Stata16 was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

There were 17 studies involving 5015 patients. In urological surgeries, single-port robotics had shorter length of stay (WMD = - 0.63, 95% Cl [- 1.06, - 0.21], P < 0.05), less estimated blood loss (WMD = - 19.56, 95% Cl [- 32.21, - 6.91], P < 0.05), less lymph node yields (WMD = - 3.35, 95% Cl [- 5.16, - 1.55], P < 0.05), less postoperative opioid use (WMD = - 5.86, 95% Cl [- 8.83, - 2.88], P < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in operative time, positive margins rate, overall complications rate, and major complications rate.

CONCLUSION

Single-port robotics appears to have similar perioperative outcomes to multi-port robotics in urological surgery. In radical prostatectomy, single-port robotics has shown some advantages, but the specific suitability of single-port robots for urological surgical types needs to be further explored.

Stentless florence robotic intracorporeal neobladder (FloRIN), a feasibility prospective randomized clinical trial

INTRODUCTION

Aim of the study was to evaluate perioperative, postoperative and mid-term functional outcomes of Florence intracorporeal neobladder (FloRIN) configuration technique performed with stentless procedure.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This single institution randomized 1:1 prospective series included consecutive patients treated with Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy (RARC) and FloRIN reconfiguration from January 2021 to February 2022. Postoperative complications were graded according to Clavien Dindo classification and divided in early (<30 days from discharge) and delayed (>30 days).

RESULTS

Overall, 63 patients were included in the analysis. Among these 32 (50.8 %) were treated with RARC + stentless FloRIN while 31 (49.2 %) underwent stent placement procedure. No differences were found in terms of baseline characteristics between the two groups. Stentless procedure was associated with significant shorter console time 328 vs 374 min (p = 0.04) and lower estimated blood loss (EBL) 330 vs 350 ml (p = 0.04) comparing to stent group. As regards perioperative features, no significant differences were recorded in terms of canalization (p = 0.58) and time to drainage removal (p = 0.11) while a shorter length of hospital stay was found in case of stentless procedure (p = 0.04). Early postoperative complications Clavien ≥ 3a occurred in 9.3 % and 12.9 % of patients while delayed major complications were recorded in the 3.1 % and 9.6 % of patients treated with stentless and stent FloRIN, respectively (p = 0.09). As regards the mid-term functional outcomes, no differences were found in terms of kidney function loss in both 3rd and 6th month assessment (p = 0.13 and p = 0.14, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, Stentless FloRIN is a feasible and safe IntraCorporeal Neobladder technique, as confirmed by the worthy functional and perioperative outcomes achieved in comparison with the standard FloRIN ureteral management strategy.

Dimensional optimisation and an inverse kinematic solution method of a safety-enhanced remote centre of motion manipulator

BACKGROUND

With the expansion of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) applications in surgery, the remote centre of motion (RCM) manipulator requires a more flexible workspace to meet different operation requirements. Thus, the mechanical structure and motion control of the RCM manipulator play important roles.

METHODS

A multi-objective genetic algorithm was exploited to maximise the kinematic performance and obtain a compact structure of the RCM manipulator. An inverse kinematic solution method is proposed to meet task accuracy and kinematic singularity avoidance constraints for safety motion control.

RESULTS

Simulation results demonstrate that there are significant improvements in the reachable workspace inside the abdominal cavity, the flexibility of the workspace, kinematic performance, and compactness of the RCM manipulator. Experiments verify the feasibility of the prototype and the validity of the proposed inverse kinematic solution method.

CONCLUSIONS

This enhances the adaptability and safety of the RCM manipulator and provides potential prospects for MIS application.

Robot-assisted radical cystectomy: Where we are in 2023

Open radical cystectomy (ORC) is associated with high rates of perioperative morbidity and mortality, owing to its extensive surgical nature and the high frequency of multiple co-morbidities among patients. As an alternative, robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) has been increasingly adopted worldwide, being a reliable treatment option that utilizes minimally invasive surgery. Seventeen years have passed since the advent of the RARC, and comprehensive long-term follow-up data are now becoming available. The present review focuses on the current knowledge of RARC in 2023, and analyzes various aspects, including oncological outcomes, peri/post-operative complications, post-operative quality of life (QoL) change, and cost-effectiveness. Oncologically, RARC showed comparable oncological outcomes to ORC. With regard to complications, RARC was associated with lower estimated blood loss, lower intraoperative transfusion rates, shorter length of stay, lower risk of Clavien-Dindo grade III-V complications, and lower 90-day rehospitalization rates than ORC. In particular, RARC with intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD) performed by high-volume centers significantly reduced the risk of post-operative major complications. In terms of post-operative QoL, RARC with extracorporeal urinary diversion (ECUD) showed comparable results to ORC, while RARC with ICUD was superior in some respects. As the RARC implementation rate increases and the learning curve is overcome, more prospective studies and randomized controlled trials with large-scale patients are expected to be conducted in the future. Accordingly, sub-group analysis in various groups such as ECUD, ICUD, continent and non-continent urinary diversion, etc. is considered to be possible.

The feasibility of robot-assisted radical cystectomy: an experimental study

PURPOSE

To investigate the feasibility of the avatera system for performing robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) followed by intracorporeal reconstruction of ileal neobladder.

METHODS

Six anesthetized female pigs were used to perform RARC and formation of the intracorporeal orthotopic ileal neobladder. Three surgeons with different level of expertise in the use of robotic systems performed RARC after a short instructional lecture and a 2-h hands-on training. The urinary diversion phase was performed only by the experienced surgeon. The successful completion of the procedure, operative time for demolitive and reconstructive phases, intraoperative blood loss and malfunction of the robotic system were evaluated.

RESULTS

An improvement of the operative time was observed for each surgeon. The experienced surgeon, the fellow and the resident improved their time by 11, 15, and 22 min, respectively, between the first and the second RARC performed. The most significant time difference was demonstrated by the resident, who had no previous experience in using robotic systems. The time difference between the first and the last orthotopic ileal neobladder creation for the experienced surgeon was 51 min.

CONCLUSION

The feasibility of avatera system for performing complex surgical procedure such as RARC with intracorporeal neobladder formation was demonstrated by this experimental study. No major bleeding or severe malfunctions were observed during the procedures. Significant improvement in operative time was demonstrated with the increasing experience from 1st to 6th case.

Gender-related outcomes in robot-assisted radical cystectomy: A multi-institutional study

Purpose

Robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) optimizes patient recovery and has outcomes comparable with those of open surgery. This study aimed to compare the perioperative and oncologic outcomes of RARC in female and male patients.

Materials and Methods

A retrospective cohort study of the Korean Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy Study Group database from 2007 to 2019 identified 749 patients (111 females and 638 males). Female were matched 1:1 to male by propensity score matching using a logistic regression. We compared perioperative outcomes, oncologic outcomes, and complications between the two groups.

Results

The female group had comparable perioperative outcomes to the male group in terms of operation time, lymph node yield, positive surgical margin, blood transfusion rate, and hospitalization days. Complication rate and grade were not significantly different between the two groups. The most common complication was infection in female and gastrointestinal complications in male. We compared the 5-year overall, disease-specific, and recurrence-free survival of female and male: 58.2% vs. 68.0% (p=0.495), 75.7% vs. 79.3% (p=0.645), and 40.8% vs. 53.5% (p=0.913), respectively. On multivariable analysis, T stage (>T2), postoperative complications, and positive surgical margin were prognostic factors of poor outcome. Sex was not an independent predictor of the three survivals.

Conclusions

The current study suggests that RARC in female has comparable perioperative and oncologic outcomes to those in male. The complication rate of RARC in female was comparable to that in male, but the type of complications differed by sex.

Single-Port Robotic Radical Cystectomy with Intracorporeal Bowel Diversion: Initial Experience and Review of Surgical Outcomes

INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVE

Scant literature is available on surgical outcomes of radical cystectomies on the new single-port (SP) system. This study compares short term outcomes in patients undergoing radical cystectomy with intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD) on the multi-port (MP) vs. SP platform.

METHODS

This IRB approved study used a prospective cystectomy database and non-parametric testing including Chi-Squared, Mann-Whitney U, and Fisher Exact tests to analyze all variables stratified by surgical approach.

RESULTS

34 patients underwent radical cystectomy with ICUD from 9/1/2019 to 2/8/2021. 20 patients were in the MP cohort, while 14 were in the SP group. Table 1 presents the demographics of both groups and shows no statistically significant differences. Intra- and post-operative as well as pathology data is shown in Table 2. Patients in the SP group had less narcotic use (MP: 25 MME vs. SP: 11.5 MME, p=0.047) and shorter return of bowel function (MP: 3 days vs. SP: 2 days, p=0.032). Operative times were similar between both groups despite having fewer patients undergoing ileal conduit (MP: 85% vs. SP: 50%, p=0.027) in the SP group. In table 3, we list the early short term post-operative follow up data for each group which showed no significant differences between the two groups with an average follow up of 4.9 months for MP and 4.4 months for SP.

CONCLUSIONS

Our initial experience with SP robotic cystectomy and ICUD appears to be safe and an effective alternative to MP cystectomies. A learning curve was involved but the overall transition from MP to SP was smooth. Operative times were similar despite fewer patients undergoing ileal diversion, shorter return of bowel function, and less narcotic use in the SP group. Further studies including longer follow ups with multi-institutional data are underway.

Oncologic Outcomes for Robotic Vs. Open Radical Cystectomy Among Locally Advanced and Node-Positive Patients: Analysis of The National Cancer Database

INTRODUCTION

Despite concerns of atypical recurrence following robotic-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC), utilization of the modality is increasing. The presumed mechanisms of peritoneal immunomodulation and pneumoperitoneum-induced tumor cell intravasation are especially relevant for higher stage, locally advanced disease, where intrinsic metastatic potential of tumor cells may be greater. This study aims to compare the oncologic outcomes and survival after RARC compared to open radical cystectomy (ORC) among patients with stage pT3-4 or node-positive muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Retrospective cohort analysis of pT3-4N0-3 and pT(any)N1-3 patients who underwent RARC or ORC was performed using the National Cancer Database (2010-2016) to investigate perioperative and oncologic outcomes.

RESULTS

9,062 ORC cases and 2,544 RARC cases met inclusion criteria. The robotic approach was significantly associated with superior unadjusted survival compared to open as well as lower proportions of unadjusted 30- and 90-day mortality, lower positive margin status, and shorter surgical inpatient stay (all respective P<.05). However, after adjusting for confounding covariates, multivariable analysis revealed no difference in mortality hazard or odds of any of the above secondary outcomes with the exception of shorter inpatient stay and higher lymph node yield. Patients treated with RARC were more likely to have neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

RARC is no less safe than ORC for patients with locally advanced bladder cancer on the basis of overall, 30- and 90-day survival. Unadjusted mortality and surgical outcomes demonstrate advantages to RARC, which are attenuated after multivariate analysis. Perioperative benefits may favor the robotic approach, consistent with previous randomized control studies.

A comparative study of perioperative and survival outcomes of robot-assisted radical cystectomy in patients over 80 and under 80 years old

Background

Radical cystectomy (RC) is the standard treatment for bladder cancer, but the safety and efficacy of this treatment for elderly people need to be considered. We compare perioperative data and survival outcomes between elderly (≥80 years) and younger (<80 years) patients undergoing robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC).

Methods

We reviewed demographic, perioperative clinical and follow-up data of 190 consecutive patients with urothelial carcinoma of bladder who received RARC from May 2015 to December 2018 in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. The patients were divided into 2 groups by age: ≥80 years and <80 years. Perioperative outcomes were compared between 2 groups. Logistic regression method was used to analyze the factors that may affect preoperative complications. Cox regression model was employed to analyze the factors affecting 3-year overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS).

Results

Of the 190 patients, 44 (23.2%) were octogenarians. The elderly patients did not statistically differ from younger patients in most of the demographic, perioperative, and pathological information. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score (p=0.045) and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) (p=0.035) could predict high-grade and any grade complications, respectively. Positive lymph node and pT≥3 were main factors affecting OS, RFS, and CSS. ASA score (p=0.048) and CCI (p=0.003) could predict OS and RFS, respectively. Elderly group had worse OS (p=0.007) and CSS (p=0.027) but similar RFS (p=0.147) compared with younger group.

Conclusion

The elderly who received RARC had similar risk of perioperative complications and RFS compared with younger patients. RARC could be an alternative treatment for selected octogenarians.

Review of the evidence for robotic-assisted robotic cystectomy and intra-corporeal urinary diversion in bladder cancer

Radical cystectomy, pelvic lymph node dissection and urinary diversion is the gold-standard treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The surgery is both complex and highly morbid. Robotic cystectomy is now in its 16^th year with established techniques and sufficient research maturity to enable comparison with its open counterpart. The present review focuses on the current evidence for robotic cystectomy and assesses various metrics including oncological, perioperative, functional, surgeon-specific and cost outcomes. The review also encapsulates the current evidence for intra-corporeal urinary diversion and its current status in the cystectomy arena.

Experimental validation of manipulability optimization control of a 7-DoF serial manipulator for robot-assisted surgery

PURPOSE

Both safety and accuracy are of vital importance for surgical operation procedures. An efficient way to avoid the singularity of the surgical robot concerning safety issues is to maximize its manipulability in robot-assisted surgery. The goal of this work was to validate a dynamic neural network optimization method for manipulability optimization control of a 7-degree of freedom (DoF) robot in a surgical operation.

METHODS

Three different paths, a circle, a sinusoid and a spiral were chosen to simulate typical surgical tasks. The dynamic neural network-based manipulability optimization control was implemented on a 7-DoF robot manipulator. During the surgical operation procedures, the manipulability of the robot manipulator and the accuracy of the surgical operation are recorded for performance validation.

RESULTS

By comparison, the dynamic neural network-based manipulability optimization control achieved optimized manipulability but with a loss of the accuracy of trajectory tracking (the global error was 1 mm compare to the 0.5 mm error of non-optimized method).

CONCLUSIONS

The method validated in this work achieved optimized manipulability with a loss of error. Future works should be introduced to improve the accuracy of the surgical operation.

Development and Cross-Validation of a Nomogram for Chronic Kidney Disease Following Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy

Introduction: We sought to identify the factors associated with deterioration of renal functions after robot-assisted radical cystectomy, and to develop a nomogram to detect the probability of progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of our prospectively maintained database. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated using the CKD-Epidemiology Collaboration creatinine formula utilizing all follow-up creatinine values. CKD was defined as stage 3b (eGFR <45 mL/minute/1.73 m²) based on the National Kidney Foundation classification. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to depict CKD-free survival. A multivariate Cox regression model was used to determine predictors for CKD and to build the perioperative nomogram. Results: The data set comprised 442 patients with a median follow-up of 25 months (12-59). Thirty-seven percent developed CKD at a median of 9 months (4-18). CKD-free survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 75%, 58%, and 50%, respectively. CKD was significantly associated with preoperative eGFR (hazards ratio [HR]: 0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.95-0.97, p < 0.01), body mass index (HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.05, p = 0.03), Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥3 (HR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.35-3.58, p < 0.01), diabetes (HR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.09-2.31, p = 0.02), 90 days postoperative strictures (HR: 4.04, 95% CI: 1.76-9.30, p < 0.01), 90 days postoperative hydronephrosis (HR: 2.26, 95% CI: 1.34-3.79, p < 0.01), 90 days recurrent urinary tract infection (HR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.08-3.14, p = 0.02), 90 days acute kidney injury (HR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.19-2.43, p < 0.01), and node positive disease (HR: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.31-2.86, p < 0.01). A 5-year CKD-free survival nomogram was developed. Conclusion: We have developed and cross-validated a nomogram for detecting CKD-free survival. This nomogram may have a role in counseling and follow up of patients. This study was done after the approval of the IRB committee (I-79606).