Robotic Inguinal Hernia Repair: A Large Health System's Experience With the First 300 Cases and Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Over the past 5 y, robotic surgery has expanded within general surgery, especially in regard to hernia repairs. We aimed to evaluate the outcomes of the early experience of over 300 consecutive robotic inguinal hernia repairs performed in an academic multihospital system. METHODS: Consecutive robotic inguinal hernia repairs performed between December 2015 and June 2017 were analyzed. Retrospective chart review was performed, and hospital records were queried. Descriptive statistics were performed. A surgical learning curve case study is presented, breakdown of operative time is delineated, and review of the literature performed. RESULTS: Over a period of 19 mo, 335 robotic inguinal hernia repairs were performed across seven hospitals by 18 surgeons. The mean patient age was 59 y (standard deviation [SD] 14), 93% were male, and the mean body mass index was 27 (SD 4.6). Bilateral hernia repairs were performed on 131 patients (39%). The mean operative time was 102 min (SD 38) and a resident or fellow trainee was present in the operating room for 119 cases (36%). Minor postoperative complications occurred in 54 patients (16%), including 14 with urinary retention (4.2%) and 13 with scrotal swelling (3.9%). The learning curve of the first adopted surgeon was 11-12 cases. CONCLUSIONS: In the largest case series of robotic inguinal hernia repairs to date reporting short-term outcomes, early experience in an academic multihospital system produced safe outcomes including no open conversions, reoperations, and one readmission. In addition, the learning curve is manageable showing improvement in operating time with experience.

The use of low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy in management of erectile dysfunction following prostate cancer treatment: a review of the current literature.

Background and Objective: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a prevalent and impactful complication post definitive management of prostate cancer. The mechanism of ED is thought to be secondary to vascular and neural injury as well as corporal smooth muscle damage with resultant fibrosis. The use of penile rehabilitation in ED following treatment for prostate cancer has been studied. Low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy (Li-ESWT) is a novel treatment for ED thought to stimulate neovascularization and nerve regeneration, and as such, has gained interest in treatment of ED related to radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy. Herein, we performed a narrative review on the use of Li-ESWT in management of ED following treatment for prostate cancer. Methods: A literature review was performed using PubMed and Google Scholar. Studies evaluating Li-ESWT following prostate cancer treatment were included. Key Content and Findings: We identified three randomized controlled trials and two observational studies that assessed use of Li-ESWT for ED after prostate surgery. Use of Li-ESWT across most studies showed improvements in the International Index of Erectile Function-erectile function (IIEF-EF) domain scores, but this improvement was not statistically significant. Additionally, use of Li-ESWT in an early versus delayed fashion does not appear to affect changes in long-term sexual function scores. No data on use of Li-ESWT after radiotherapy were identified. Conclusions: There is a paucity of data regarding use of Li-ESWT for penile rehabilitation in treatment of ED post-prostate cancer therapy. Current protocols for Li-ESWT are not standardized and have a limited number of participants with short duration of follow-up. Additional evaluation is needed to determine optimal Li-ESWT protocols. Ideally, studies should have longer follow-up to truly evaluate the clinical significance of Li-ESWT in the treatment of post-prostatectomy ED. Furthermore, the role of Li-ESWT after radiotherapy remains elusive.