Comparative Analysis of Early Perioperative Outcomes Following Radical Cystectomy by Either the Robotic or Open Method

OBJECTIVE We analyzed early perioperative outcomes following radical cystectomy by the robotic method compared with the conventional open method. METHODS All relevant clinical information was entered in a Microsoft Access Database and queried. P < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS The study cohort comprised 37 consecutive patients undergoing radical cystectomy; 24 (64.9%) cases were performed by the conventional open method and 13 (29.7%) by the robotic method. Body mass index, age, sex, blood transfusion rate, and median decrease in hemoglobin were comparable between the 2 groups. The robotic method resulted in significantly lower median estimated blood loss, shorter hospital stay, and longer operating time compared with the open group (P < 0.05). Four (16.7%) perioperative complications occurred in the open group compared with 2 (15.4%) in the robotic group (P = 1.0). The incidence of organ-confined (< or =T2N0Mx) disease was 9 (37.5%) and 7 (53.8%) in the open and robotic groups, respectively (P = 0.49). CONCLUSIONS Radical cystectomy by the robotic method produces early perioperative results comparable to those of the open method. Although intraoperative estimated blood loss and hospital stay were significantly lower in the robotic group, operative time was longer which likely reflects our early operative experience with radical cystectomy by the robotic method.