Peroperative transrectal ultrasonography-guided bladder neck dissection eases the learning of robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy.
OBJECTIVE
To study the role of peroperative transrectal ultrasonography (peTRUS) for the dissection of the bladder neck during robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP).


METHODS
Integrated peTRUS in the da Vinci S system (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) was used for bladder neck identification and dissection in the initial 80 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer operated by two urologists. The clinical and pathological results were compared with the initial 80 patients who had RALP with no peTRUS. The location of positive margins was recorded.


RESULTS
The operative duration, blood loss, hospital stay, catheter dependency, clinical and pathological T-stage and Gleason sum score were no different between the groups. The prostate-specific antigen level at time of diagnosis was slightly higher for patients in the peTRUS group. Basal surgical margins (bladder neck and basal areas of both prostate lobes) were positive for tumour in 9.1% and 2.3% of patients treated without and with peTRUS, respectively (P = 0.001). Although the use of peTRUS improved the basal margin rate in the initial 30 patients in each group, it did not in the last 30 in each group, when the urologist's experience apparently improved. In a multivariate analysis the use of peTRUS and pathological T-stage were the best predictors of basal margin status. Pad use at 6 months after surgery was similar for both groups.


CONCLUSIONS
peTRUS during RALP decreased the positive surgical margin rate at the base of the prostate during the initial experience of RALP.
Department of Urology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. h.vd.poel@nki.nl
Henk G
HG
van der Poel
Willem
W
de Blok
Axel
A
Bex
Willem
W
Meinhardt
Simon
S
Horenblas
D000368:Aged; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012371:Robotics / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000379:methods*; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000601:surgery*; D014572:Urology / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards
D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen