Objective: To compare the safety and perioperative outcomes of robotic retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (R-RPLND) vs laparoscopic RPLND (L-RPLND).
Patients and methods: Our Institutional Review Board-approved retrospective testicular cancer registry was queried for patients who underwent a primary unilateral R-RPLND or L-RPLND by a single surgeon for a stage I testicular non-seminomatous germ cell tumour. Groups were compared for differences in baseline and outcome variables.
Results: Between July 2006 and July 2014, 16 R-RPLND and 21 L-RPLND cases were performed by a single surgeon. Intra- and perioperative outcomes including operative time, estimated blood loss, lymph node yield, complicate rate, and ejaculatory status were similar between groups (all P > 0.1).
Conclusions: As an early checkpoint, R-RPLND appears comparable to L-RPLND in terms of safety and perioperative outcomes. It remains unclear if R-RPLND offers any tangible benefits over standard laparoscopy.
Keywords: RPLND; retroperitoneal lymph node dissection; robotic surgery; testicular cancer.
© 2015 The Authors BJU International © 2015 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.