Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy in patients after endoscopic surgeries on the prostate

Background. In literature, data on the results of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) in patients after transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) are contradictory.Aim. To evaluate surgical, functional, and oncological outcomes of RARP after TURP.Materials and methods. At the Urology Center of the Mariinsky Hospital (Saint Petersburg), RARP was performed on 410 patients. Among them, 28 (6.8 %) patients (1st group) previously underwent TURP due to infravesical obstruction. Among them, 18 (64.3 %) patients were diagnosed with prostate cancer after pathomorphological examination of the tissue resected during TURP, and on them RARP was performed on average 3.2 months later. In 10 (35.7 %) patients, prostate cancer was diagnosed during transrectal biopsy due to increased prostate-specific antigen level; on them RARP was performed on average 42.0 months after TURP. The following parameters were evaluated: operative time, time of bladder neck reconstruction and urethrovesical anastomosis formation, blood loss volume, tumor pathological stage, Gleason score, surgical margin status, rates of urine continence and preservation of erectile function.Results. Mean operative time was higher in the 1st group compared to the 2nd: 210 ± 36 min versus 180 ± 25 min (р <0.0001). In the 1st group compared to the 2nd, reconstruction of bladder neck was necessary more frequently (82.1 % versus 10.7 %; р <0.0001), urethrovesical anastomosis took longer time (32 ± 2.3 min versus 24.5 ± 3.1 min; р <0.0001), mean blood loss volume was higher (240 ± 39 mL versus 170 ± 32 mL; р <0.0001). Frequencies of positive surgical margin were 14.3 and 10.7 % respectively in the 1st and 2nd groups (р = 0.840). Frequencies of all complications were 28.6 and 21.4 %, respectively. Severe complications (≥IIIb grade per the Clavien classification) were observed in 2 (7.1 %) patients in both groups. Frequency of anastomosis stricture after surgery was significantly higher in the 1st group: in 2 (7.1 %) and 1 (3.6 %) case, respectively (р <0.05). In the 1st group, total urinary continence was achieved in 14 (50.0 %), 20 (71.5 %), 22 (78.5 %) and 25 (89.3 %) patients at early and 3-, 6and 12-month follow-up after RARP; in the 2nd group, it was achieved in 18 (64.3 %), 22 (78.6 %), 24 (85.7 %) and 26 (92.9 %) patients in the same follow-up periods. After 6 and 12 months, in the 1st group among 15 (53.6 %) patients with normal initial erectile function, satisfactory erectile function was preserved in 46.7 and 93.3 % of patients; in the 2nd group among 19 (67.8 %) patients, in 57.8 and 94.7 % patients, respectively.Conclusion. RARP after TURP is a relatively complicated surgical intervention with long operative time and high blood loss volume. However, functional and short-term oncological outcomes of RARP in these patients do not differ at 12 months.