Radical prostatectomy is the reference treatment for localized prostate cancer. The minimal invasive approach is gaining support in a large number of centers around the world because the laparoscopic approach seems to maintain the oncological control of open surgery with added benefits for the patient. In this paper, the main aspects of the different laparoscopic approaches, their benefits, difficulties, complications, and results are described and compared with the open radical prostatectomy. A critical review of the literature on radical prostatectomy comparing the open and laparoscopic techniques and the differences between each approach was done.