title: Robotic-assistance does not enhance standard laparoscopic technique for right-sided donor nephrectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine donor and recipient outcomes after right-sided robotic-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (RALDN) compared with standard laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) and to determine whether robotic-assistance enhances LDN.
  
  
  METHODS
  From December 2005 to January 2011, 25 patients underwent right-sided LDN or RALDN. An IRB-approved retrospective review was performed of both donor and recipient medical charts. Primary endpoints included both intraoperative and postoperative outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty right-sided LDNs and 5 RALDNs were performed during the study period. Neither estimated blood loss (76.4 mL vs. 30 mL, P = .07) nor operative time (231 min vs. 218 min, P = .61) were significantly different between either group (LDN vs. RALDN). Warm ischemia time for LDN was 2.6 min vs. 3.8 min for RALDN (P = .44). Donor postoperative serum estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) were similar (53 vs. 59.6 mL/min/1.73 m2, LDN vs. RALDN, P = .26). For the recipient patients, posttransplant eGFR were similar at 6 months (53.4 vs. 59.8 mL/min/1.73 m2, LDN vs. RALDN, P = .53).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, robotic-assistance did not improve outcomes associated with LDN. Larger prospective studies are needed to confirm any perceived benefit of RALDN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaolong S
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hadley W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Narins
authors.forename: Warren R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Maley
authors.forename: Adam M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: Costas D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Lallas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D019520:Living Donors; D008875:Middle Aged; D009392:Nephrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012371:Robotics / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D052096:Warm Ischemia