Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy with Intra-Corporeal Neo-Bladder

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a step-by-step description of the robot-assisted radical cystectomy with an intra-corporeal neo-bladder technique and a recent review of its outcomes. The procedure is also known as anterior pelvic exenteration or cysto-prostatectomy in the case of female or male respectively. Radical cystectomy (RC) is the gold standard treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer, but there are also several surgical indications for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. In the past years, minimally invasive surgery and the da Vinci system technology have played a major role in this procedure, with description of brand-new techniques and specific approaches for the creation of a continent urinary reservoir. The following chapter provides a detailed description of the robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) with Y-shaped intra-corporeal bladder as well as a literary review of distinct perioperative, functional and oncological outcomes from the available RARC randomized controlled trials. Despite its high cost and complexity, the intra-corporeal technique has become widely popular around the world and is used more frequently each time. The described data in this chapter, demonstrates that morbidity can be reduced whilst simultaneously offer non-inferior oncological results and less intraoperative blood loss in contrast to the open RC approach.