Robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy

Purpose: Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is an alternative to open prostatectomy in the surgical management of prostate cancer. The introduction of surgical robot to assist laparoscopic surgery served as a mechanical device to enhance the laparoscopic skills and improve surgical maneuverability with enhanced visual systems and the multi-axis articulating instruments. This review will introduce the evolution of surgical technique and current status of robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy. Materials and Methods: A review of literatures is conducted with the homepage of Korean Urologic Association and PubMed, a search tool of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, including the MEDLINE database. Results: After its approval by the United States FDA in 2000, the robotic technology has revolutionized the treatment of surgical management of prostate cancer. Robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy offers benefits of minimally invasive surgery with comparable oncological functional outcomes compared to standard surgical options. Conclusions: This technique is expected to evolve into one of the standard of care in treatment of localized prostate cancer.