title: Use of Pediatric Open, Laparoscopic and Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Ureteral Reimplantation in the United States: 2000 to 2012.
abstract: We characterize the use of pediatric open, laparoscopic and robot-assisted laparoscopic ureteral reimplantation in the United States from 2000 to 2012.
  
  
  
  We used the Kids' Inpatient Database to identify patients who underwent ureteral reimplantation for primary vesicoureteral reflux. Before 2009 laparoscopic ureteral reimplantion and robot-assisted laparoscopic ureteral reimplantation were referred to together as minimally invasive ureteral reimplantation. A detailed analysis of open vs robot-assisted laparoscopic ureteral reimplantation was performed for 2009 and 2012.
  
  
  
  A total of 14,581 ureteral reimplantations were performed. The number of ureteral reimplantations yearly decreased by 14.3%. However, the proportion of minimally invasive ureteral reimplantations increased from 0.3% to 6.3%. A total of 125 robot-assisted laparoscopic ureteral reimplantations were performed in 2012 (81.2% of minimally invasive ureteral reimplantations), representing 5.1% of all ureteral reimplantations, compared to 3.8% in 2009. In 2009 and 2012 mean ± SD patient age was 5.7 ± 3.6 years for robot-assisted laparoscopic ureteral reimplantation and 4.3 ± 3.3 years for open reimplantation (p <0.0001). Mean ± SD length of hospitalization was 1.6 ± 1.3 days for robot-assisted laparoscopic ureteral reimplantation and 2.4 ± 2.6 for open reimplantation (p <0.0001). Median charges were $22,703 for open and $32,409 for robot-assisted laparoscopic ureteral reimplantation (p <0.0001). These relationships maintained significance on multivariate analyses. On multivariate analysis robot-assisted laparoscopic ureteral reimplantation use was associated with public insurance status (p = 0.04) and geographic region outside of the southern United States (p = 0.02). Only 50 of 456 hospitals used both approaches (open and robotic), and only 6 hospitals reported 5 or more robot-assisted laparoscopic ureteral reimplantations during 2012.
  
  
  
  Treatment of primary vesicoureteral reflux with ureteral reimplantation is decreasing. Robot-assisted laparoscopic ureteral reimplantation is becoming more prevalent but remains relatively uncommon. Length of stay is shorter for the robotic approach but the costs are higher. Nationally robot-assisted laparoscopic ureteral reimplantation appears to still be in the early phase of adoption and is clustered at a small number of hospitals.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Urology, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Diana K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Urology, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Faasse
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Urology, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Dennis B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Urology, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Edward M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Urology, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Bruce W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Lindgren
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Urology, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois. Electronic address: ekjohnson@luriechildrens.org.
authors.forename: Emilie K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016208:Databases, Factual; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D012092:Replantation / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D065287:Robotic Surgical Procedures / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States; D014513:Ureter / Q000601:surgery*; D013520:Urologic Surgical Procedures / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D014718:Vesico-Ureteral Reflux / Q000191:economics / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: pediatrics; replantation; robotics; urologic surgical procedures; vesico-ureteral reflux