title: Robotic prostatectomy - a review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the current medical literature on robotic prostatectomy (RP) and report clinical outcomes of this newly developed technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  A MEDLINE search was performed using the following headings: prostate cancer, radical prostatectomy, robotics, robot assisted, laparoscopy, telesurgery. In addition, recently published abstracts on RP were reviewed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studies that reported clinical and pathological variables of patients undergoing RP were included in this meta-analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were extracted from published articles and abstracts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Robotic systems enhance surgeons' technical abilities and offer the potential of precise surgical technique. Short-term follow-up studies demonstrate that RP is at least comparable in efficacy to open and laparoscopic prostatectomy, including clinical and pathologic parameters. RP has benefits of minimal invasiveness, decreased blood loss, and quicker recovery compared with open surgery. Functional and cancer control results are still immature, but most studies reported favorable outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RP is a promising minimally invasive surgical approach for men with prostate cancer. Short-term clinical and pathological results are comparable to those with open and laparoscopic prostatectomy.
authors.affiliation: Cornell Institute of Robotic Surgery, Department of Urology, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Assaad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: El-Hakim
authors.forename: Ashutosh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tewari
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D012371:Robotics; D016896:Treatment Outcome