ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Surgeons should aim for continuous quality improvement. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of incremental changes to Robot Assisted Radical Prostatectomy (RARP) technique on intra-operative and early post-operative outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All cases of RARP performed by a single surgeon in a tertiary institution over a 2-year period were included in this evaluation. Routine clinical data were collected. Cases were retrospectively allocated to four groups depending on key technical steps (1 = standard anterior approach; 2 = anterior approach with preservation of endopelvic fascia, puboprostatic fascia and urachus; 3 = posterior approach for nerve spare, with preservation of endopelvic fascia, puboprostatic fascia and urachus; 4 = Retzius-sparing posterior approach). RESULTS: 187 patients were allocated to groups: 1 = 22, 2 = 53, 3 = 90, 4 = 22. There were no significant differences in pre-operative characteristics, except age: 1 = 62.5, 2 = 62, 3 = 62.5, 4 = 58.5 (p = 0.02). Intra-operative differences were found in console time: 1 = 195, 2 = 167, 3 = 195 4 = 136.5 min (p < 0.001); and proportion of non-nerve sparing cases: 1 = 36%, 2 = 17%, 3 = 13%, 4 = 0% (p = 0.044). No significant differences were found in lymph node dissections, blood loss or complications. Post-operatively, no differences were found in length of stay, pathological characteristics, margin status, lymph node yield, complications or PSA levels. Significant differences were seen in pad-free continence at 6 weeks: 1 = 23%, 2 = 23%, 3 = 34%, 4 = 73% (p < 0.01); and social continence (using 1 pad) at 6-weeks: 1 = 59%, 2 = 87%, 3 = 81%, 4 = 95% (p = 0.01). Significant differences in pad-free continence persisted at 12 months: 1 = 63%, 2 = 81%, 3 = 78%, 4 = 100% (p = 0.019). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that aggregated marginal gains from incremental modification of RARP leads to significantly improved continence outcomes without compromising patient safety or oncological control.
