A Comparison of Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Ureteral Reimplantation and Conventional Laparoscopic Ureteral Reimplantation for the Management of Benign Distal Ureteral Stricture

To describe our experience and analyze the outcomes of robot-assisted laparoscopic ureteral reimplan-tation (RALUR) and conventional laparoscopic ureteral reimplantation (LUR) in treating benign distal ureteral stricture (DUS).

Patients who underwent RALUR or LUR for DUS were retrospectively analyzed. All surgeries were performed by transperitoneal approach in a refluxing manner. Baseline characteristics, history of previous abdominal surgery, operative profile and follow-up data were collected and analyzed.

Among 68 patients with DUS, 62 were diagnosed with unilateral DUS, including 28 patients underwent RALUR. The mean operative time of the RALUR group was 2.44 ± .45 hours, while the mean operative time of the LUR group was 3.09 ± .74 hours (P < .001). The average suturing time of LUR (39.59 ± 3.78 min) is about 2 times that of RALUR (20.04 ± 3.5 min) (P < .001). The success rate of the RALUR group and the LUR group were 89.3% and 82.4% respectively (P = .494). In multiple linear regression model, the modality of surgery was the only variable that influences operative time (Beta = -.964, P < .001), suturing time (Beta = -1.899, P < .001) and hemoglobin decline (Beta = -.611, P = .020).

Basically, the postoperative outcomes are similar but robotic surgery offers a quicker surgery and anastomosis.