Total laparoscopic nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma under a single surgical position

BACKGROUND: To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of total laparoscopic nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UUTUC) under a single surgical position. METHODS: The medical data of 89 UUTUC patients were collected, who were treated in our institution from Jan 2016 to Jun 2018. The 45 cases that underwent total laparoscopic nephroureterectomy with a single position were allocated in the test group, while the 44 patients who received retroperitoneal laparoscopy combined with hypogastric oblique incision were assigned in the control group. We compared the two groups in perioperative indicators and tumor recurrence rate and analyzed the clinical effect of the new surgical treatment of UUTUC. RESULTS: All 89 operations for UUTUC were successful and had no conversion to open surgery. No obvious complications occurred during the perioperative period. The test group had significantly shorter average operation time (96.58 ± 8.56 min versus 147.45 ± 9.16 min), less blood loss (39.58 ± 4.15 ml versus 46.50 ± 4.58 ml), earlier ambulation (7.47 ± 1.01 h versus 11.39 ± 1.82 h), and shorter length of stay in hospital (6.98 ± 1.14 days versus 9.89 ± 1.51 days) (P < 0.05). The visual analogue scale (VAS) scores of the test group at 1 h, 12 h, and 24 h after operation were lower compared with those of the control group (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found in the tumor stage, tumor grade, postoperative gastrointestinal function recovery time, follow-up time, and tumor recurrence rate between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the traditional surgical methods, the total laparoscopic treatment of UUTUC under a single surgical position had advantages of shorter operation time, less blood loss, and early postoperative ambulation. The new operative method could shorten the length of stay and accelerate recovery of patients, and it is a viable surgical procedure which deserved clinical application and promotion. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Our trial was approved and has been registered in the ethics committee of the Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital (Approval NO.[2015]171).