Henry Ford Hospital Researchers Conduct Study on Robot-Assisted Surgical Procedures

A new research study by Henry Ford Hospital urologists states that robot-assisted surgery has been more effective than another minimally invasive procedure, becoming the major surgical method to treat kidney cancer, where part of the diseased organ is spared.

Following its introduction since 2004, robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPD) was analyzed to have less complication when compared to laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN).

The findings will be available during the American Urological Association's Annual Meeting, from May 19 to 23, to be held in Atlanta.

Partial nephrectomy or PN is a surgical procedure wherein the cancerous kidney’s diseased part alone is removed, leaving the healthy organs untouched. In contrast, the previously standard radical nephrectomy or RN involves the removal of the entire kidney, the adrenal gland, part of the ureter, and adjacent tissues. Development in 3D scanning technology can facilitate the achievement of less extreme PN, which reduces cardiovascular complications and death, and more effective than RN.

LPN involves robotic-assisted, less-invasive removal of kidney tumor only via a small incision. The incorporation of robots offer increased precision to the surgeons.

Based on the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), researchers at Henry Ford Hospital observed 1,174 patients who already experienced minimally invasive PN, within the period from October 2008 - December 2009. Almost 72.5% of those patients underwent robot-assisted surgery, while the rest had LPN. The researchers discovered the following:

• Several LPN patients were white, but there was not much variation in terms of gender, insurance status, income level or comorbidity (diseases or disorders in addition to kidney cancer).
• Both procedure showed almost same rate of overall complication rates while surgery and later on. Also, the rate of blood transfusion and hospital duration were the same.
• More RAPNs were performed at non-teaching hospitals, mostly in the Midwest. LPNs were prevalent in the Northeast.
• Statistically significant differences, where those experiencing RAPN had fewer neurologic, urinary, and bleeding complications.

Studies showed that cancer could be controlled with PN as much as with RN with increasing survival rates. It is considered as the standard treatment in both Europe and the U.S.

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