Extending the indication for robot-assisted retroperitoneal partial nephrectomy to antero-lateral renal tumors

BackgroundRobot-assisted retroperitoneal partial nephrectomy (RARPN) is typically employed for posterior renal tumors. This work aimed to extend the indication of RARPN to patients with selected antero-lateral renal tumor. MethodsPatients who underwent RARPN between December 2013 and September 2015 at the authors' institution were enrolled. Two intersecting lines were drawn on an axial CT image to define the medial/lateral nature of anterior renal tumors. Patients with antero-lateral tumor and posterior tumor were compared. ResultsAntero-lateral tumors constituted 56.1% (32/57) of the total cases. The perioperative outcomes between the two groups were comparable. Although the operation time was longer for the antero-lateral tumor group, it did not show statistical significance. No cases had positive margins. There was one case of Clavien-Dindo grade IIIa complication in the antero-lateral tumor group. ConclusionsRARPN is a safe and effective procedure not only for posterior renal tumors but also for carefully selected antero-lateral renal tumors. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.