Robotic prostatectomy - a review.

OBJECTIVE

To review the current medical literature on robotic prostatectomy (RP) and report clinical outcomes of this newly developed technique.

DATA SOURCE

A MEDLINE search was performed using the following headings: prostate cancer, radical prostatectomy, robotics, robot assisted, laparoscopy, telesurgery. In addition, recently published abstracts on RP were reviewed.

STUDY SELECTION

Studies that reported clinical and pathological variables of patients undergoing RP were included in this meta-analysis.

DATA EXTRACTION

Data were extracted from published articles and abstracts.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Robotic systems enhance surgeons' technical abilities and offer the potential of precise surgical technique. Short-term follow-up studies demonstrate that RP is at least comparable in efficacy to open and laparoscopic prostatectomy, including clinical and pathologic parameters. RP has benefits of minimal invasiveness, decreased blood loss, and quicker recovery compared with open surgery. Functional and cancer control results are still immature, but most studies reported favorable outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

RP is a promising minimally invasive surgical approach for men with prostate cancer. Short-term clinical and pathological results are comparable to those with open and laparoscopic prostatectomy.