OBJECTIVE To compare the utilization, perioperative complications and predictors of LCA versus RPN in the treatment of localized renal tumors. METHODS From the Nationwide Inpatient Sample we identified patients undergoing RPN or LCA for the treatment of localized renal tumors from October 2008 through 2010. Patient and hospital-specific factors which predict postoperative complications and us...

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of metastasis to the retropharyngeal nodes (RPN) in CT-based lymph node-positive head and neck patients by comparing other node levels. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 175 CT-based lymph node-positive patients with carcinoma of the head and neck were managed with definitive radiation therapy. RPN involvement was identified only...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RPN) has emerged as a viable approach to minimally invasive surgery for small renal tumors. There are few reports of RPN for tumors >4 cm. Our objective was to evaluate outcomes of RPN for tumors >4 cm compared with RPN for tumors ≤ 4 cm in a large multi-institutional study. PATIENTS AND METHODS We reviewed data for 445 consecutive pa...

The maintenance of cellular proteins in a biologically active and structurally stable state is a vital endeavor involving multiple cellular pathways. One such pathway is the ubiquitin-proteasome system that represents a major route for protein degradation, and reductions in this pathway usually have adverse effects on the health of cells and tissues. Here, we demonstrate that loss-of-function m...

Nephron-sparing surgery is currently considered the gold standard treatment for T1 renal tumors. As laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) represents a technically challenging procedure, robotic surgery has been increasingly used during the last few years in the field of nephron-sparing surgery. The aim of this review is to analyze the techniques and outcomes of robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN...

The nRPN, nRPNSTAT, and nRPNDYN are three novel indexes to measure system's nonlinearity. These nonlinear measurements are derived from the Robust Performance Number (RPN) concept. The total system's nonlinearity can be measured by the nonlinear RPN (nRPN), while the purely static nonlinearity is captured by nonlinear static RPN (nRPNSTAT) and the dynamic component by the nonlinear dynamic RPN ...

PURPOSE We describe multiple uses of the fourth robotic arm and TilePro on the da Vinci S surgical system to maximize console surgeon independence from the assistant during robot-assisted renal surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS We prospectively evaluated the use of the fourth robotic arm and TilePro on the da Vinci S during robot-assisted radical nephrectomy (RRN) and robot-assisted partial neph...

OBJECTIVE To compare laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) with robotic PN (RPN) using meta-analytical techniques, since there has been a rise in the incidence of small renal masses (SRM; <4 cm) minimally invasive approaches are becoming more popular in dealing with such pathologies. MATERIALS AND METHODS A systematic review of the literature was performed to identify studies comparing LPN a...

PURPOSE Current clinical data support a safe warm ischemia time (WIT) limit of 30 minutes during laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) or robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RPN). We evaluated independent factors predicting prolonged WIT (more than 30 minutes) after LPN or RPN. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective data review was performed for 317 consecutive patients who underwent LPN or R...

BACKGROUND To compare the surgical margin status after open partial nephrectomy (OPN) and robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN) performed in patients with T1a renal cell carcinoma (RCC). METHODS This was a propensity score-matched study including 702 patients with cT1a RCC treated with partial nephrectomy (PN) between May 2003 and July 2015. Perioperative parameters, including surgical margin wid...