Robotic reconstructive urology: possibilities for the urological surgeon beyond the prostate.

Saahil Mehta, Prokar Dasgupta and Ben J. Challacombe, The Urology Centre, Guy’s Hospital, London This article was originally published in BJU Int 2010;106:1247–8. The rapid dissemination of roboticassisted laparoscopic surgery into surgical practice over the past five years has been startling. Urology has been quick to develop robotic-assisted techniques, particularly in the treatment of localised prostate cancer, where large series with excellent outcomes have been reported.1 The UK currently has 23 da Vinci (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) surgical systems, with several more planned, and most are primarily used to perform roboticassisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). However, there are a growing number of other reconstructive urological procedures facilitated by this robotic system, which, although less numerous and thus potentially less financially rewarding than RARP, may also have huge patient benefits.