ABSTRACT
Objective To review the clinical data of the first 100 consecutive robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy ( RALRP) performed by a single surgeon , and to provide our experience in passing the learning curve of RALRP .Methods The retrospective study enrolled 100 consecutive patients diagnosed with prostate cancer from June 2012 to November 2014, who had undertaken RALRP , performed by Prof.Gao Xu.The patients aged 67 (50 to 87) years, with a mean PSA level of 20.3 (1.3 to 214.0)μg/L, among which 89 had a clinical staging of T1a to T2b, 4 staged T2c, and 7 staged T3a to T4.Of the patients, 16, 37, and 47 patients were categorized as low , intermediate, and high risk level , respectively. The operation time and blood loss volume were analyzed by moving average method .Results RALRP in all 100 cases were carried out successfully , with no conversion to open prostatectomy .The mean operation time was 221 (120 to 480) min, with an average intraoperative blood loss of 207 (50 to 800) ml; 2 cases received blood transfusion.Positive surgical margin rate was 26%.Eighty (89%) of 90 cases had recovery of continence ( equal to or less than 1 pad used daily ) 3 months postoperatively;10 cases had a follow-up time less than 3 months, and 5 had gained recovery of continence .The operation time and blood loss volume were stable at the 85th -90th case.Conclusion RALRP has a short learning curve , with a promising overall treatment outcome in the early phase of learning .