Benefits of Robotic Assisted vs. Traditional Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy: A Single Surgeon Comparative Study

Purpose: The current study aims to compare peri-operative and post-operative outcomes between robotic assisted vs. laparoscopic partial nephrectomy. Multiple reviews of the current literature have detailed the lack of single surgeon studies in this domain. To limit inter-operator bias, we utilise a single surgeon experienced in both approaches to reduce this bias seen in other multi-centre studies. Methods and Materials: We retrospectively compared patient demographics, tumour characteristics, peri-operative and post-operative outcomes of all partial nephrectomies undertaken by a single surgeon between 2014 and 2021 with experience in both laparoscopic and robotic surgery. The Da Vinci surgical system was utilized. Statistical analysis was carried out using GraphPad prism software version 7.03, San Diego, CA, USA. Results: Warm ischemia time was reduced by 2.6 min, length of stay reduced by 1.3 days and acute renal function deterioration was reduced by 55% with all these results being significant with robotic assisted partial nephrectomy compared to laparoscopic partial nephrectomy. Conclusion: This study highlights the benefits of robotic assisted in comparison to laparoscopic partial nephrectomy. Further large-scale prospective studies and cost-benefit analysis of robotic assisted partial nephrectomy would be valuable in confirming these findings and justifying the usage against their financial cost.