title: What if the hand piece spring disassembles during robotic radical prostatectomy?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALRP) is successfully being performed for treating prostate cancer (PCa). However, instrumentation failure associated with robotic procedures represents a unique new problem.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report the successful completion of RALRP in spite of a disassembled hand piece spring during the procedure. A PubMed/Medline search was made concerning robotic malfunction and robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy to discuss our experience.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We performed RALRP in a 60-year-old male patient with localized PCa. During the procedure, the spring of the hand piece disassembled, and we were not able to reassemble it. We completed the procedure successfully however without fixing the disassembled hand piece spring. We were able to grasp tissue and needles when we brought our fingers together. The only movement we needed to do was to move fingers apart to release tissue or needles caught by robotic instrument.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although malfunction risk related to the da Vinci Surgical System seems to be very low, it might still occur. Sometimes, simple maneuvers may compensate for the failed function as occurred in our case. However, patients should be informed before the operation about the possibility of converting their procedure to laparoscopic or open due to robotic malfunction.
authors: Ankara Ataturk Training and Research Hospital, 1st Urology Clinic, Ankara, Turkey.
authors: Ziya
authors: Z
authors: Akbulut
authors: Abdullah Erdem
authors: AE
authors: Canda
authors: Ali Fuat
authors: AF
authors: Atmaca
authors: Erem
authors: E
authors: Asil
authors: Egemen
authors: E
authors: Isgoren
authors: Mevlana Derya
authors: MD
authors: Balbay
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D004868:Equipment Failure; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation*