Nephron sparing surgery for renal hilar tumours: short-term follow-up of predominantly robot-assisted surgery cohort

Hilar tumours are the renal tumours, which abut the renal artery or vein. Nephron sparing surgery (NSS) is of proven benefit among those with small renal masses. Hilar tumours are usually offered radical surgery due to the presumed difficulty in dissection, upgrading to tumour stage, and risk of conversion to radical surgery. We present our results of patients with hilar tumour undergoing nephron sparing surgery. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent NSS for renal hilar tumours in our tertiary referral institute from June 2017 to December 2022. The case sheets of all the patients who had undergone NSS were analysed and their radiology images reviewed. Those with hilar tumours were analysed based on demographic characters, perioperative and postoperative and follow-up details. Among a total of 21 patients undergoing partial nephrectomy, ten had hilar tumours. The median age was 43 years. Nine patients had robot-assisted partial nephrectomy and one underwent open partial nephrectomy. Seven patients had incidentally detected tumours. One had Grade 3 chronic kidney disease. The mean operative time and robot console time were 225 and 125 min, respectively. Median warm ischaemia time (WIT) was 36 min (25–48 min). One patient had grade 2 complication and two had grade 3 complication. Eight had clear cell renal cell carcinoma and one had positive margin. None had recurrence at a median follow-up of 38 months. Nephron sparing surgery, especially with robot-assisted approach, is feasible in hilar tumours with prognosis and complications similar to non-hilar tumours in short-term follow-up.