[Laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy. Indications, technique, initial results].

The therapeutic management of carcinoma of the prostate and the bladder depends on the tumor involvement of the hypogastric and obturatoric lymph nodes. Pelvic lymphadenectomy reveals the most accurate information about metastatic spread to the lymph nodes in patients with prostatic carcinoma. The pathologic information it offers cannot be acquired by any other diagnostic procedure. In cadaver studies and animal experiments in dogs we developed a technique for laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy. Since 1990 six patients underwent a transperitoneal laparoscopic lymphadenectomy. First results show the feasibility of our operative technique. Currently the future role of laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy in clinical management of prostatic carcinoma cannot be estimated.