Transplantation rénale à partir de donneurs vivants prélevés sous laparoscopie assistée par robot. À propos d’une série de 35 cas

Retroperitoneal robot-assisted live-donor nephrectomy: A single-center study

Background

As the demand for kidney transplants continues to increase globally, healthcare institutions face a challenge to bridge the gap between patients waitlisted for kidney transplants and the number of donors. A major factor influencing the donor's decision is the operative risk and potential complications of the surgery. Open surgical approaches have been vastly replaced with laparoscopic donor nephrectomies as the standard of practice. However, there is a growing body of evidence pointing towards its potential superiority over laparoscopic methods. In this study, we aim to present our experience on outcomes of Robotic-Assisted Live Donor Nephrectomies (RALDN), the first series of its kind in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Methods

We retrospectively collected data from patients who underwent RALDN at Mediclinc City Hospital. Demographic data, laboratory investigations, and operative details were collected and analyzed.

Results

Seven patients underwent RALDN between 2021 and April 2022 at our facility. Four donors were male while three were female. Median length of hospital stay was 4 days. In our study, one of the patients suffered from a Clavien-Dindo grade IV complication which necessitated prolonged admission.

Conclusion

We conclude that RALDN is a safe method for donor kidney procurement, carrying a low risk of morbidity and mortality. This method could potentially evolve the number of kidney donors to address the issue of high kidney transplant demand.

[Robot-assisted Living Donor Nephrectomy - Technical Aspects and Initial Evidence]

Minimally invasive donor nephrectomy has become the standard procedure in most transplant centres over the past two decades and has contributed to a reduction in postoperative morbidity for the donor. Robot-assisted technology is an alternative to conventional (hand-assisted) laparoscopic technology and will find increasing use in the future. In this review article, we address technical aspects of robotic-assisted donor nephrectomy, in accordance with our own experience and will provide an overview of the currently available literature. Robot-assisted living kidney donation is a safe procedure with a very low postoperative complication rate. The procedure offers advantages over the open surgical technique with respect to the reduction in the postoperative need for analgesia and the duration of hospital stay, with longer operating times and warm ischemia times, but without a measurable effect on transplant function. The postoperative outcome parameters are comparable to those of the laparoscopic technique, indicating a further acceleration of postoperative convalescence. The advantages of robot-assisted technology, due to the better exposure options, are most relevant in patients with a high BMI and multiple renal arteries, as well as in right-sided nephrectomies in which a longer transplant artery can be obtained. Robot-assisted living kidney donation will play a major role in the future of transplant surgery and is a serious alternative to conventional laparoscopic technology.

First Canadian experience with robotic laparoendoscopic single-site vs. standard laparoscopic living-donor nephrectomy: A prospective comparative study

INTRODUCTION

We aimed to compare the outcomes of robotic laparoendoscopic single-site living donor nephrectomy (R-LESS LDN) vs. standard laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy (LLDN).

METHODS

Between October 2013 and November 2015, 39 patients were allocated to either standard LLDN (n=25) or R-LESS LDN (n=14). Patient demographics, perioperative outcomes, analgesic requirement, visual analogue scale of pain at postoperative days 1, 3, 7, and 30, and a health-related quality of life and body image questionnaire were prospectively collected.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in demographics and intraoperative outcomes between the two cohorts. The R-LESS LDN cohort had lower analgesic requirement (p=0.002) and lower visual pain scores on days 1 and 3 (p=0.001). Additionally, body image and satisfaction scores in the R-LESS group were also superior compared to the LLDN cohort (p=0.008). There was no significant difference in the postoperative complications according to the Clavien-Dindo system. Recipient graft functional outcomes were equivalent.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first evidence that R-LESS LDN is safe and associated with comparable surgical and early functional outcomes compared to LLDN, while pain, donor body image, and satisfaction scores were improved compared to LLDN.

Robot-Assisted Transplant Surgery - Vision or Reality? A Comprehensive Review

Minimally invasive surgery is standard procedure for many operations. Further refinements include the introduction of robotic surgery which is still an emerging field especially in laparoscopic surgery. Since the successful introduction of the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System, the robotic approach in organ transplantation has become of great interest in both the live donor organ retrieval and the recipient operation. Robotic surgery for kidney, liver, and pancreas transplantation is feasible. Over 700 donor nephrectomies and 100 kidney transplantations have been performed already, and robotic surgery is standard in a small number of pioneer centers; however, larger series and most importantly randomized controlled trials for the highest evidence are needed. Longer warm ischemia time and higher costs limit these procedures at the moment.

The use of robotic surgery in abdominal organ transplantation: A literature review

Minimally invasive surgical approaches in transplantation are gaining increasing interest, and many centers are reporting their, mainly laparoscopic, experiences. Robotic surgery (RS) has some hypothetical advantages over traditional laparoscopy and has been successfully applied, although infrequently to organ transplantation. Our goal was to review and critique the publications reporting RS use in organ transplantation. Most of the RS experience has been with living renal donor organ procurement and, to a lesser extent, with RS procedures in the transplant recipient. The available literature suggests that RS appears to be a safe surgical alternative to standard open procedures. RS in living liver donor surgery remains limited, and more experience is required before commenting on RS-related outcomes RS in pancreatic transplantation is exceedingly rare. The enhanced precision and ergonomics of RS may expand its applicability to liver living donation and pancreas transplantation at some point in the future.

European Association of Endoscopic Surgeons (EAES) consensus statement on the use of robotics in general surgery

Following an extensive literature search and a consensus conference with subject matter experts the following conclusions can be drawn: 1. Robotic surgery is still at its infancy, and there is a great potential in sophisticated electromechanical systems to perform complex surgical tasks when these systems evolve. 2. To date, in the vast majority of clinical settings, there is little or no advantage in using robotic systems in general surgery in terms of clinical outcome. Dedicated parameters should be addressed, and high quality research should focus on quality of care instead of routine parameters, where a clear advantage is not to be expected. 3. Preliminary data demonstrates that robotic system have a clinical benefit in performing complex procedures in confined spaces, especially in those that are located in unfavorable anatomical locations. 4. There is a severe lack of high quality data on robotic surgery, and there is a great need for rigorously controlled, unbiased clinical trials. These trials should be urged to address the cost-effectiveness issues as well. 5. Specific areas of research should include complex hepatobiliary surgery, surgery for gastric and esophageal cancer, revisional surgery in bariatric and upper GI surgery, surgery for large adrenal masses, and rectal surgery. All these fields show some potential for a true benefit of using current robotic systems. 6. Robotic surgery requires a specific set of skills, and needs to be trained using a dedicated, structured training program that addresses the specific knowledge, safety issues and skills essential to perform this type of surgery safely and with good outcomes. It is the responsibility of the corresponding professional organizations, not the industry, to define the training and credentialing of robotic basic skills and specific procedures. 7. Due to the special economic environment in which robotic surgery is currently employed special care should be taken in the decision making process when deciding on the purchase, use and training of robotic systems in general surgery. 8. Professional organizations in the sub-specialties of general surgery should review these statements and issue detailed, specialty-specific guidelines on the use of specific robotic surgery procedures in addition to outlining the advanced robotic surgery training required to safely perform such procedures.

Robotic-assisted pancreas transplantation: where are we today?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To analyze the current status of robotic-assisted pancreas transplantation as a treatment option for diabetic patients.

RECENT FINDINGS

Pancreas transplant recipients continue to suffer high rates of technical complications, including wound infections, fascial dehiscence, and postoperative ventral hernias. Robotic technology can potentially contribute to decreasing these dangerous complications and improve the postoperative course of pancreas transplantation.

SUMMARY

Current literature on both robotic pancreas and robotic kidney transplant were reviewed in order to determine feasibility, safety, and efficacy of robotic pancreas transplantation. To date, only three cases of robotic pancreas transplantation, two of which were solely pancreas transplantation and one combined pancreas-kidney transplantation, have been reported in a single publication by an Italian group. Their preliminary data show that robotic pancreas transplantation is feasible and well tolerated. The authors believe that robotic pancreas transplantation could have a prominent role in lone pancreas transplantation performed in overweight recipients, in parallel to their experience with fully robotic kidney transplant in morbidly obese candidates. Broader experience with this innovative approach will be necessary to establish if robotic pancreas transplantation will be a beneficial option for diabetic patients needing beta-cell replacement.

Living donor nephrectomy--quantifying the risk for the donor

Living kidney donation is on the rise, either due to cultural or ethical reasons or due to a lack of deceased donor kidneys. For adequately counseling of a potential living kidney donor, medical professionals must know not only the immediate risks of kidney donation but also possible long-term effects of kidney donation on the donor's physical and psychological well-being. This also includes a range of aspects such as quality of life, insurance issues, and family planning following kidney donation. This review article is based on a Medline and PubMed search and elucidates the risks living kidney donors face with regard to all aspects just mentioned. Living kidney donation does not end with the operative procedure--long-term cost-free physical and psychological follow-up should be offered to each donor for the gift he or she is willing to give to the recipient.

Single-incision robotic-assisted living donor nephrectomy: case report and description of surgical technique

The introduction of laparoscopic surgery, and more recently of robotics, has increased the number of living donor kidney transplants. This approach has already improved living donor acceptance rates. Even newer developments in the field have now been introduced with the purpose of further reducing postoperative pain and length of hospital stay, while offering better cosmetic results. In particular, single-incision surgery has gained popularity by improving the well-known benefits of minimally invasive surgery. In this case report, we present the first single-incision robotic-assisted living donor nephrectomy.

Complication rates of the 720 video-assisted minilaparotomy living donor nephrectomies: supplementing clavien classification

PURPOSE

Laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy (LLDN) has been reported to be as safe and effective as open surgery. We systematically evaluated the safety of video-assisted minilaparotomy surgery-living donor nephrectomy (VAMS-LDN) with use of the modified Clavien classification.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed complications in 720 cases of VAMS-LDN conducted in our institute from 2003 to 2010 by use of the modified Clavien classification of surgical complications.

RESULTS

The mean age of the donors was 39.3 years (range, 16 to 66 years) and their mean body mass index was 23.3 kg/m(2) (range, 15.8 to 36.4 kg/m(2)). A total of 67 complications occurred (9.3%). Based on the modified Clavien classification, grade 1, 2a, and 2b complications occurred in 49 (6.8%), 16 (2.2%), and 2 (0.3%) of the donors, respectively. Most grade 1 complications involved mild vascular injuries that were immediately repaired with polypropylene sutures during the surgery. These did not cause any postoperative problems. The other grade 1 complications were wound dehiscence, not requiring secondary closure, and wound site pain in 11 (1.5%) and 5 (0.7%) cases, respectively. Grade 2a complications occurred in 16 (2.2%) cases: 9 (1.3%) involved postoperative transfusions and 1 (0.1%) involved a renal fossa hematoma. One grade 2b complication occurred; it was a lymphocele that resolved with placement of a pigtail catheter. No complications classified as grade 2c or worse occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

According to the present analysis of complications, VAMS-LDN is a safe procedure with complication rates comparable to those of LLDN as evaluated in previous studies.