Surgical competency for urethrovesical anastomosis during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: development and validation of the robotic anastomosis competency evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate an assessment tool for the performance of urethrovesical anastomosis (UVA). METHODS: A multicenter, prospective, observational study was conducted in 2 phases. Phase 1, development and content validation, used a panel of 5 experienced robotic surgeons to develop a 6-domain scoring system, Robotic Anastomosis Competence Evaluation (RACE), to assess technical skills for performing UVA. Phase 2, construct validation and reliability, used 5 blinded experienced robotic surgeons to rate UVA recordings of expert, advanced beginner, and novice groups. Content validation index was determined to report consensus in phase 1. Phase 2 involved comparison of RACE scores among the 3 groups. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare RACE scores. RESULTS: Two rounds of Delphi methodology achieved consensus on language and content of RACE. Eight experts, 10 advanced beginners, and 10 novice robotic surgeons participated in the validation study. The overall score for the expert group (27.3) was higher than that of the advanced beginner (19.5; P = .04) and novice groups (13.6; P = .001). The advanced beginner and novice groups differed in overall scores (P = .03). CONCLUSION: RACE allows evaluation of surgical competence to perform UVA for robot-assisted radical prostatectomy, when using an inanimate model.

Oncologic outcomes following robot-assisted radical cystectomy with minimum 5-year follow-up: the Roswell Park cancer institute experience.

BACKGROUND: Long-term oncologic outcomes following robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) remain scarce. OBJECTIVE: To report long-term oncologic outcomes following RARC at a single institution. DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective review of 99 patients who underwent RARC for urothelial carcinoma of bladder between 2005 and 2009. INTERVENTION: RARC was performed. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Primary outcomes included recurrence-free survival (RFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS), measured by the Kaplan-Meier method. The association between primary outcomes and perioperative and pathologic factors was assessed using a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Fifty-one (52%) patients had stage pT3 or higher disease. Eight (8%) patients had positive margins and 30 (30%) had positive lymph nodes (LNs), with a median of 21 LNs removed. Median follow-up for patients alive was 74 mo. The 5-yr RFS, CSS, and OS rates were 52.5%, 67.8%, and 42.4%, respectively. Tumor stage, LN stage, and margin status were each significantly associated with RFS, CSS, and OS. On multivariable analysis, tumor and LN stage were independent predictors of RFS, CSS, and OS, while positive margin status and Charlson comorbidity index predicted worse OS and CSS. Adjuvant chemotherapy predicted RFS only. Retrospective design and lack of open comparison are main limitations of this study. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term oncologic outcomes following RARC demonstrate RFS and CSS estimates similar to those reported in literature for open radical cystectomy. Randomized controlled trials can better define outcomes of any alternative technique. PATIENT SUMMARY: Survival data 5 yr after RARC for bladder cancer demonstrate that survival outcomes are dependent on the same oncologic parameters as previously reported for open surgery.