Robot-Assisted Urachal Excision and Partial Cystectomy for Urachal Pathologies: Systematic Review with Insights from Single-Center Experience

Background: Urachal pathologies, while rare, carry a risk of malignant transformation. Robot-assisted urachal excision and partial cystectomy (RAUEPC) is a minimally invasive technique that offers potential advantages, but the available evidence remains limited. This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of RAUEPC for benign and malignant urachal pathologies through a systematic review and single-center experience. Methods: A systematic review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and ScienceDirect (last search: 1 November 2024). Inclusion criteria encompassed studies reporting on RAUEPC for urachal pathologies, while non-robotic approaches and incomplete data were excluded. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cohort studies and the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Case Reports. Descriptive statistics summarized continuous data (means, medians, 95% confidence intervals), and chi-square tests analyzed associations between categorical variables. Heterogeneity analysis was infeasible, necessitating narrative synthesis. Institutional retrospective data from three cases (2021-2024) were included for comparison. This study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024597785). No external funding was received. Results: A total of 44 studies (n = 145) met the inclusion criteria. Benign lesions accounted for 66.2% and malignant lesions for 33.8%. Mean operative time was 177.8 min (cumulative), 162.7 min (benign), 192.2 min (malignant), 85.33 min (institutional, 95% CI: 74.13-96.53). Mean blood loss was 85.4 mL (cumulative), 99.5 mL (benign), 72.7 mL (malignant), 216.66 mL (institutional). Mean hospital stay was 3.64 days (cumulative), 3.26 days (benign), 4.36 days (malignant), 6.33 days (institutional, 95% CI: 3.46-9.20). Complications occurred in 10.04% (cumulative), 11.82% (benign), 8.57% (malignant), with one minor event (Clavien-Dindo II) in institutional cases. No conversions to open surgery were reported. All cases achieved complete excision with no R1 resections. No recurrences were observed at 10.66-month (institutional) mean follow-up. Conclusions: RAUEPC appears to be a feasible and safe approach with promising short-term outcomes. The associations between symptoms and diagnostic methods highlight its utility. The limitations of the evidence include small sample sizes and retrospective designs. Further prospective studies are needed to validate these findings.