Current trends in pediatric minimally invasive urologic surgery

Postoperative hydronephrosis following ureteral reimplantation: Clinical significance and importance of surgical technique and experience

BACKGROUND

Though common, postoperative hydronephrosis (POHN) following ureteroneocystostomy raises concern for an underlying obstruction. We aimed to determine the clinical significance of POHN following open (OUR) or robotic (RALUR) ureteral reimplantation.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed pediatric patients who underwent ureteral reimplantation for vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) from 2008 to 2019 by a single surgeon. Baseline characteristics, operative outcomes, and trends in POHN were assessed. POHN was defined as new onset hydronephrosis or exacerbation of pre existing hydronephrosis. Renal ultrasounds were performed 1, 4, and 12 months postoperatively. Voiding cystourethrograms were performed 4 months postoperatively. Surgical experience for RALUR cases was defined as number of ureters operated over time.

RESULTS

Altogether, 93 patients (127 ureters) underwent RALUR and 19 patients (26 ureters) underwent OUR. POHN was found in 27.6% and 30.8% of ureters after RALUR and OUR, respectively. Rate and time to POHN resolution for RALUR (91.4%, 112 days) and OUR (75%, 211 days) were statistically similar. Odds of POHN after RALUR were directly related with preoperative VUR grade (Range OR: 2.82[2.26-3.52]) and surgical experience (Range OR: 8.88[7.16-11.02]). Surgical experience was inversely related with odds of VUR recurrence (Range OR: 0.41[0.32-0.54]). Rates of VUR resolution were comparable for OUR and RALUR patients. No patient required additional intervention for POHN.

CONCLUSIONS

Incidence and resolution rate of POHN after OUR and RALUR were similar. Higher VUR grades were associated with increased odds of POHN after RALUR. Increasing RALUR experience improved VUR resolution rate but increased odds of POHN. Surgical success rates were similar for RALUR and OUR.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

II.

Validation of the three web quality dimensions of a minimally invasive surgery e-learning platform

INTRODUCTION

E-learning web environments, including the new TELMA platform, are increasingly being used to provide cognitive training in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) to surgeons. A complete validation of this MIS e-learning platform has been performed to determine whether it complies with the three web quality dimensions: usability, content and functionality.

METHODS

21 Surgeons participated in the validation trials. They performed a set of tasks in the TELMA platform, where an e-MIS validity approach was followed. Subjective (questionnaires and checklists) and objective (web analytics) metrics were analysed to achieve the complete validation of usability, content and functionality.

RESULTS

The TELMA platform allowed access to didactic content with easy and intuitive navigation. Surgeons performed all tasks with a close-to-ideal number of clicks and amount of time. They considered the design of the website to be consistent (95.24%), organised (90.48%) and attractive (85.71%). Moreover, they gave the content a high score (4.06 out of 5) and considered it adequate for teaching purposes. The surgeons scored the professional language and content (4.35), logo (4.24) and recommendations (4.20) the highest. Regarding functionality, the TELMA platform received an acceptance of 95.24% for navigation and 90.48% for interactivity.

CONCLUSIONS

According to the study, it seems that TELMA had an attractive design, innovative content and interactive navigation, which are three key features of an e-learning platform. TELMA successfully met the three criteria necessary for consideration as a website of quality by achieving more than 70% of agreements regarding all usability, content and functionality items validated; this constitutes a preliminary requirement for an effective e-learning platform. However, the content completeness, authoring tool and registration process required improvement. Finally, the e-MIS validity methodology used to measure the three dimensions of web quality in this work can be applied to other clinical areas or training fields.

Robot-assisted laparoscopic ureteral reimplantation: a single surgeon comparison to open surgery

OBJECTIVE

The aim was to report a single surgeon's experience comparing open and robot-assisted laparoscopic extravesical ureteral reimplantation (RALUR) to treat vesicoureteral reflux (VUR).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of RALUR and open extravesical ureteral reimplantations consecutively performed by a single surgeon between January 2008 and December 2010 using the da Vinci(®) Surgical System. Both groups of patients were subjected to identical pre- and postoperative care protocols.

RESULTS

During the defined study interval, 20 open and 20 RALUR procedures were completed by a single surgeon at our institution. Gender and VUR grade were similar in both cohorts. Operative times were longer in the RALUR group, but postoperative opioid use (morphine equivalents) was significantly lower in the RALUR group (RALUR: 0.14 mg/kg, open: 0.25 mg/kg, p = 0.021). There was no significant difference in estimated blood loss (EBL) or length of hospitalization (LOH). The overall rate of surgical complications was similar; however, the complications in the open group tended to be less severe than those occurring in the RALUR group. On follow-up, after a median of 52 months for open surgery and 39 months for RALUR, two children had developed a febrile urinary tract infection in both groups, of which one in the open group had persistent VUR.

CONCLUSION

This single-surgeon experience of open and initial experience with RALUR performed with the same surgical technique on consecutive cohorts with identical post-surgical care protocol allows a comparative analysis of outcomes for a surgeon transitioning to RALUR. The RALUR reduces postoperative analgesic requirements while yielding similar clinical outcomes as the open technique.

Current controversies in pediatric urologic robotic surgery

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Minimally invasive surgeries such as conventional laparoscopic surgery and robotic assisted laparoscopic surgery (RALS) have significant advantages over the traditional open surgical approach including lower pain medication requirements and decreased length of hospitalization. However, open surgery has demonstrated better success rates and shorter surgery time when compared to the other modalities. Currently, it is unclear which approach has better long-term clinical outcomes, greater benefits and less cost.

RECENT FINDINGS

There are limited studies in the literature comparing these three different surgical approaches. In this review, we will evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of RALS compared to conventional laparoscopic surgery and open surgery for commonly performed pediatric urological procedures such as pyeloplasty, ureteral reimplantation, complete and partial nephrectomy, bladder augmentation and creation of continent catheterizable channels.

SUMMARY

Although it is not yet possible to demonstrate the superiority of one single surgical modality over another, RALS has been shown to be feasible, well tolerated and advantageous in reconstructive urological procedures. With experience, the outcomes of RALS are improving, justifying its usage. However, cost remains a significant issue, limiting the accessibility of RALS, which in the future may improve with market competition and device innovation.

How to successfully implement a robotic pediatric surgery program: lessons learned after 96 procedures

BACKGROUND

Both our teams were the first to implement pediatric robotic surgery in France. The aim of this study was to define the key points we brought to light so other pediatric teams that want to set up a robotic surgery program will benefit.

METHODS

We reviewed the medical records of all children who underwent robotic surgery between Nov 2007 and June 2011 in both departments, including patient data, installation and changes, operative time, hospital stay, intraoperative complications, and postoperative outcome. The department's internal organization, the organization within the hospital complex, and cost were evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 96 procedures were evaluated. There were 38 girls and 56 boys with average age at surgery of 7.6 years (range, 0.7-18 years) and average weight of 26 kg (range, 6-77 kg). Thirty-six patients had general surgery, 57 patients urologic surgery, and 1 thoracic surgery. Overall average operative time was 189 min (range, 70-550 min), and average hospital stay was 6.4 days (range, 2-24 days). The procedures of 3 patients were converted. Median follow-up was 18 months (range, 0.5-43 months). Robotic surgical procedure had an extra cost of <euro>1934 compared to conventional open surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Our experience was similar to the findings described in the literature for feasibility, security, and patient outcomes; we had an overall operative success rate of 97 %. Three main actors are concerned in the implementation of a robotic pediatric surgery program: surgeons and anesthetists, nurses, and the administration. The surgeon is at the starting point with motivation for minimally invasive surgery without laparoscopic constraints. We found that it was possible to implement a long-lasting robotic surgery program with comparable quality of care.