Extraperitoneal Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy: Initial Experience / 대한비뇨기과학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To present the short-term results of an extraperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomy technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 18 patients underwent a laparoscopic radical prostatectomy for clinical stages ranging from cT2a to cT3b, as found on MR prostate imaging. RESULTS: Our extraperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomy procedure was technically successful in all 18 patients. The mean age of the patients was 65.3 years. The mean surgical time was 421 minutes. The Foley catheter was able to be removed on postoperative days 10, 14 and 20 from 7, 5 and 3 patients, respectively, and from 1 on each of the 23, 30 and 34 postoperative days. The final pathological results were 2, 6, 5, and 5 stages pT2a, pT2b, pT3a and pT3b, respectively. There was a positive surgical margin in 8 patients (44.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Our initial series of extraperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomies are presented. Using an extraperitoneal approach, avoiding the peritoneal cavity, can minimize the chances of the bowel coming into contact with electrocautery, and the associated potential sequelae. The extraperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomy procedure is developmental; therefore, long-term data are currently unavailable. Nevertheless, this technique could potentially be an attractive addition to the available radical prostatectomy procedures.