New semiautomatic suturing device (Maniceps) for precise vesicourethral anastomosis during radical retropubic prostatectomy

Performing vesicourethral anastomosis following retropubic radical prostatectomy may, under some anatomical conditions, be difficult. We describe the use of a new suturing semiautomatic device for deep surgical operations (Maniceps) to facilitate vesicourethral anastomosis. Maniceps is a pair of forceps both jaws of which have a groove at the tip. A 7 mm straight needle is set on the needle-holder jaw. By closing and reopening the forceps, the needle is moved onto the needle-receiver jaw. The use of Maniceps in vesicourethral anastomosis ensure the procedure is safe, easy and effective.     

腹腔镜前列腺癌根治术中膀胱尿道吻合技术

前列腺癌根治术是治疗早期局限型前列腺癌的首选方法。随着腔镜器械的不断发展及手术技术的持续改进,腹腔镜前列腺癌根治术已成为治疗局限型前列腺癌的标准术式,它除了具有与开放手术一样的治疗效果外,还具有创伤小、恢复快的微创优势,迅速在国内大中型医院广泛开展。膀胱尿道吻合是腹腔镜前列腺癌根治术中最关键的步骤之一,如何减少膀胱尿道吻合的难度,提高手术效率并保证吻合的质量,是国内外泌尿外科专家所一直关注并期待解决的课题。本文总结了近几年国内外腹腔镜前列腺癌根治术中膀胱尿道吻合的技术改进和我们自身手术经验,与广大泌尿外科同行共飨。     

Outcome of precise vesicourethral anastomosis following retropubic radical prostatectomy using a Foley catheter

PURPOSE: In order to evaluate precise anastomosis using a Foley catheter, complications following radical retropubic prostatectomy were examined. METHODS: Twenty-one patients underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy. Precise vesicourethral anastomosis was performed, visualizing the urethral stump by raising up the urogenital diaphragm using a Foley catheter. Complications, such as prolonged urinary extravasation and temporary urinary retention, were checked when the catheter was removed. Incontinence was evaluated both within 6 weeks and more than 6 weeks after operation. Anastomotic and urethral strictures were also checked during follow up. RESULTS: The follow-up period ranged from 4 to 47 months (mean (+/- SD) 22.0 +/- 12.1 months). Eighteen of 21 patients (85.7%) achieved continence after the operation. However, two patients still had stress incontinence and one patient had mild incontinence. Neither prolonged urinary extravasation nor temporally urinary retention were observed. Anastomotic and urethral stricture were not experienced during follow up. CONCLUSIONS: Precise anastomosis using a Foley catheter is technically easy and useful, even for relatively inexperienced urologists, to perform. Patients can often achieve continence following this procedure.     

Knotless “three‐U‐stitches” technique for urethrovesical anastomosis during laparoscopic radical prostatectomy

We describe a new technique for urethrovesical anastomosis that consists of placing three “U” stitches of Monocryl 2‐0 to connect the bladder neck and urethral stump together. The margins are united by a double passage of the suture, without tying any knots. The sutures are tied on the bladder's surface using Lapra‐Ty clips fixed at a certain distance from where to two mucosal margins have been joined. We carried out this technique on 90 patients who underwent laparoscopic extraperitoneal radical prostatectomy. The good joining of the margins, the absence of knots and the minimum trauma to the urethral wall together enable to create an anastomosis that is both “sealed” and “tension free”, allowing a quick “welding” of the margins and an early catheter removal. Regarding urinary continence, 56.6% (51) of patients were continent at catheter removal, 87.6% (78) were continent 3 months later and 98.9% (89) were continent after 6 months. In nine patients (10%), an episode of acute urinary retention occurred within 24 h after the removal of the catheter. We did not encounter any cases of vesicourethral anastomosis stenosis.     

Radical retropubic prostatectomy with running vesicourethral anastomosis and early catheter removal: Our experience

Objectives:   To assess the outcomes of patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) with a running vesicourethral anastomosis and catheter removal on postoperative day 3 or 5.
Methods:   From February 2006 through December 2007, 55 patients underwent RRP at our institution. All procedures were performed by a single surgeon using a running suture for the vesicourethral anastomosis. A cystogram was carried out before catheter removal in all patients. The initial 23 of 55 patients (Group 1; n  = 23) had the cystogram on postoperative day 5, the other 32 patients (Group 2; n  = 32) had the cystogram on postoperative day 3. Removal of the catheter was only carried out if there was no anastomotic extravasation.
Results:   The success rate of catheter removal in group 1 and 2 was 100% and 96.9%, respectively. Overall continence rates were 83.3%, 87% and 90.7% at 24, 48 and 72 h after removal of the catheter, respectively. There was no significant difference in terms of continence rate between groups 1 and 2. None of the patients had acute urinary retention and/or anastomotic stricture after catheter removal.
Conclusions:   These findings suggest that an advanced running vesicourethral anastomosis during RRP is technically feasible, allowing safe early catheter removal in most patients.     

Incidence of bladder neck contracture after robot‐assisted laparoscopic and open radical prostatectomy

Study Type – Therapy (case series)
Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the incidence and risk factors for bladder neck contracture (BNC) in men treated with robot‐assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) and open radical prostatectomy (ORP), as BNC is a well‐described complication of ORP and may be partially attributable to technique.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The University of California San Francisco Urologic Oncology Database was queried for patients undergoing RALP or ORP from 2002 to 2008. Patient demographics, prostate cancer‐specific information, surgical data, and follow‐up were collected. For each surgical approach, multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to evaluate associations of demographics and clinical characteristics with BNC. Time to BNC after RP was evaluated using life table and Kaplan–Meier methods.

RESULTS

From 2002 to 2008, 988 patients underwent RP as primary treatment and had at least 12 months of follow‐up. Of these men, 695 underwent ORP and 293 underwent RALP. The mean (sd ) age was 59.3 (6.80) years and 91% of men were Caucasian. D’Amico risk groups at diagnosis were low (38%), intermediate (38%), and high (24%). The BNC incidence was 2.2% (22 cases) overall, 1.4% (four) for RALP, and 2.6% (18) for ORP (P= 0.12). Patients with BNC were diagnosed a median (range) of 4.7 (1–15) months after surgery. At 18 months after surgery, the BNC‐free rate was 97% for ORP and 99% for RALP (log‐rank P= 0.13). The most common presenting complaint was slow stream, followed by urinary retention. In Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, earlier year of surgery, older age at diagnosis and higher PSA level at diagnosis were significantly associated with BNC among ORP patients. In the RALP group, none of the covariates were associated with BNC.

CONCLUSIONS

The overall incidence of BNC was low in both RALP and ORP groups. Technical factors such as enhanced magnification and a running bladder anastomosis may explain the lower BNC incidence in the RALP group.     

The single-knot method with Lapra-Ty clips is useful for training surgeons in vesicourethral anastomosis during laparoscopic radical prostatectomy

We determined the applicability of the running single-knotted suture with Lapra-Ty clips to locking the vesicourethra at the 6 o’clock position for teaching anastomosis during laparoscopic radical prostatectomy to trainee surgeons. Fifty consecutive patients underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer conducted by five surgeons with no experience of this procedure. Twenty (group 1) and 30 (group 2) of the patients underwent vesicourethral anastomosis using the single-knot running technique without or with Lapra-Ty clips. Surgical data, duration of surgical anastomosis, extravasation rate, time until healing and catheter removal, and occurrence of anastomotic structures were evaluated. The duration of surgical anastomosis was significantly greater without than with the Lapra-Ty clips (56 ± 13 min versus 45 ± 10 min, P < 0.01). The extravasation rate on postoperative cystography was significantly higher without than with the Lapra-Ty clips (30.0% versus 10.0%, P < 0.05). Leakage occurred on the 6 o’clock side of the anastomosis in all of these patients and urinary retention occurred in one patient (5.0%) in group 1. The single-knot method with Lapra-Ty clips in vesicourethral anastomosis during laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is useful, safe, and efficient, especially for surgeons learning the technique.     

Oncological outcome of laparoscopic prostatectomy

AIM: Oncological outcomes including surgical margin status and biological progression-free survival (bPFS) were analyzed in patients who underwent laparoscopic prostatectomy (LRP) only. METHODS: A total of 136 patients who underwent LRP only without lymph node metastasis or perioperative supportive therapy between April 2000 and October 2005 were analyzed. All patients received > or =6 months postoperative follow-up. Biological progression was defined as elevation of prostate-specific antigen by >0.2 ng/mL. RESULTS: The positive margin (ew+) rate was 36.8% and the 3-year bPFS was 72.6% for all patients. Positive margin rates in pT2a-b, pT2c, pT3a and pT3b were 10.0%, 27.5%, 77.3% and 53.8%, respectively. Three-year bPFS rates in pT2, pT3a and pT3b were 91.8%, 66.8% and 44.9%, respectively. Although the positive margin rate at posterior and anterior sites decreased as more patients were recruited, no significant improvements were observed at apex and base sites. Three-year bPFS rates in pT2 ew-, pT2 ew+, pT3 ew- and pT3 ew+ were 95.8%, 85.7%, 81% and 48.5%, respectively, indicating that positive margins exert a greater impact in pT3 disease than in pT2 disease. CONCLUSIONS: Although 3-year bPFS results were almost identical to previous reports of LRP and retropubic radical prostatectomy, the positive margin rate in pT3a disease was particularly high, probably due to immature surgical skill. Although positive margins at posterior and anterior sites decreased with the leaning curve, improvements are needed to reduce positive margin rates at the apex. Positive margins exert greater impact in pT3 disease than in pT2 disease.     

The impact of obesity on laparoscopic radical prostatectomy

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of obesity on the operative variables of patients undergoing laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The database entries and case-notes of 532 consecutive patients undergoing LRP from March 2000 to August 2005 were examined retrospectively. Complete data were available on 505 (95%) patients, 108 (21%) of whom were obese (body mass index, BMI, > or = 30 kg/m2). All patients had clinical stage T < or = 3aN0M0 prostate cancer and had their procedure done or supervised by the same surgeon. RESULTS: The patients' prostate-specific antigen level, Gleason score, clinical stage and prostate weight were similar. The mean values for patients deemed not obese and obese were: for operative duration (182 and 197 min, P = 0.01), blood loss (310 and 250 mL, P = 0.66), hospital stay (3.0 and 3.3 nights, P = 1.00), complications (3.5% and 4.6%, P = 0.77), positive margins (15.4% and 20.6%, P = 0.26) and biochemical recurrence (3.8% and 3.7%, P = 1.00) at a mean follow-up of 9.7 and 12.0 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: The operation was significantly longer for obese patients, by a mean of 15 min; all other variables were comparable in the two groups. The results from this study suggest that obese patients can expect a similar outcome to their non-obese counterparts after LRP, when operated on by an experienced surgeon.     

腹腔镜前列腺癌根治术中两种膀胱尿道吻合方法的比较研究

目的:比较腹腔镜前列腺癌根治术中两种膀胱尿道吻合方法的患者临床资料,探讨单针体外牵拉缝合方法的效果。方法:回顾性分析95例接受经腹膜外腹腔镜前列腺癌根治术患者的临床资料。根据膀胱尿道吻合方法分为两组;双针连续缝合法组(A组,n=52)和单针体外牵拉缝合法组(B组,n=43)。分别比较两组手术时间、膀胱尿道吻合时间;引流管留置时间、导尿管留置时间、并发症以及手术切缘等指标。结果:与A组相比,B组有较短的手术时间(A组179.9min,B组142.8min,P<0.05)、膀胱尿道缝合时间(A组22.0min,B组12.9min,P<0.05);和较低的吻合口漏尿发生率(A组15.4%,B组2.3%,P<0.05)。但在术后尿道狭窄发生率、引流管留置时间、导尿管留置时间以及手术切缘阳性率等方面两组并无明显差异。结论:腹腔镜前列腺癌根治术中采用单针体外牵引缝合法可以缩短膀胱尿道吻合时间以及总手术时间,同时可以减少吻合口漏尿发生率。     

Evaluation of operative complications related to laparoscopic radical prostatectomy

Objectives:   In this decade, there have emerged many alternatives for the therapy of localized prostate cancer, such as brachytherapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, high intensity focused ultrasound, and retropubic radical prostatectomy. In this retrospective study, we reviewed cases of complications related to laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) from our institution only, and we evaluated whether this procedure was minimally invasive or not.
Methods:   Between August 2000 and December 2006, a total of 160 patients in our institution underwent LRP as the definitive treatment for clinically localized prostate cancer. We analyzed not only the complications but also the operative time and blood loss to clarify the indications of LRP.
Results:   Major complications were defined as those requiring surgical intervention including laparoscopic repair. A total of nine major complications (5.63%) occurred in six patients (3.75%). In a Cox regression analysis, the estimated blood loss ( P  = 0.0069) and neoadjuvant hormonal therapy ( P  = 0.0019) were significant predictors of long operative time (>6 h) of LRP.
Conclusion:   The indication of LRP in this study was localized prostate cancer at the T1 or T2 stage for which neoadjuvant hormonal therapy had not been administered. We concluded that the operative and postoperative morbidities of LRP are low and that LRP can be routinely carried out by an experienced team.     

腹腔镜下根治性前列腺切除术治疗TURP术后偶发前列腺癌的配对分析

目的探讨经尿道前列腺切除术(TURP)后偶发前列腺癌行腹腔镜根治性前列腺切除术(LRP)在外科手术、肿瘤学及尿控等方面的影响。方法回顾性分析自2012年1月至2017年12月北部战区总医院泌尿外科285例接受了LRP治疗的男性患者的临床资料。其中37例患者术前已接受过TURP治疗(TURP组),另外选取37例没有接受过TURP的患者与之配对(对照组)。运用相关统计学方法比较两组患者在围手术期并发症、外科手术、肿瘤及尿控等方面的差异。结果两组患者在年龄、体质指数、血清前列腺特异性抗原(PSA)水平以及术前和术后Gleason评分等方面无统计学差异。TURP组与对照组相比患者出血量较多[(555.4±238.4)vs.(237±111.3)mL,P<0.05]、手术时间较长[(256.7±65.3)vs.(215.2±62.3)min,P<0.05]、输血概率大(5.4%vs.0.0%,P<0.05)、并发症发生率较高(43.2%vs.13.5%,P<0.05)。TURP组的手术阳性切缘率与对照组相比(35.1%vs.24.3%)差异无统计学意义(P=0.353)。手术后12个月的尿控率两组相似,但在3个月时TURP组的尿控率较低(40.5%vs.70.2%)。在平均随访36.5个月后,TURP组和对照组分别有10.8%和8.1%的患者出现生化复发,差异无统计学意义。结论TURP后LRP需要更长的手术时间、失血更多、并发症发生率更高和更差的短期尿控,但两组患者远期肿瘤切除效果及远期尿控没有差异,所以TURP后行LRP的疗效是安全可靠的。     

Feasibility and usefulness of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: Kobe University experience

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to present the clinical outcomes of 26 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy at our institution. METHODS: We performed laparoscopic prostatectomy on patients who were clinical stage T1 or T2. The mean age was 70 years old (range: 52-76). The mean level of pre-treatment prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was 8.7 ng/mL (range: 3.3-45). The Gleason score of the needle biopsy was < 7 in 21 patients and > or = 7 in five patients. Clinical stage was T1c in 17 patients, T2a in 6 patients and T2b in 3 patients. Operative techniques followed those of the French groups. Five trocars were introduced into the peritoneal cavity. The vas deferens and seminal vesicles were dissected to reach the posterior wall of the prostate and the retroperitoneal space was dissected around the urinary bladder. Incision of endopelvic fascia and dorsal vein complex (DVC) ligation were performed. The bladder neck and prostate were divided, then the distal urethra was cut. The lateral pedicles of the prostate were cut and the entire prostate was removed. Vesico-urethral anastomosis was performed at eight points. RESULTS: Mean operation time was 7 h 30 min. Mean bleeding volume (including urine volume) was 850 mL (range: 32-3135). All patients underwent autologous blood transfusion. Only one patient required further blood transfusion. Gleason scores of resected specimens were < 7 in 10 patients, and > or = 7 in 16 patients. Pathological stage was T0 in 1 patient, T2a in 6 patients, T2b in 13 patients, T3a in 5 patients and T3b in 1 patient. The PSA value was undetectable in all patients one month after surgery. Ten patients who survived for 6 months after surgery had complete urinary continence without a pad. In 7 of the 12 patients who were potent before surgery, neurovascular bundles were preserved, and 5 of them (71%) achieved complete or incomplete erection 3 months after surgery. However, only one patient (14%) could have sexual intercourse. CONCLUSION: Although longer follow-up is necessary to evaluate this surgical technique, laparoscopic prostatectomy seems to be a reasonable option in the treatment of organ-confined prostate cancer.     

单中心比较标准和改良前列腺尖部切除技巧加快膀胱尿道吻合在腹腔镜前列腺癌根治术中的应用

报告一种改良的前列腺尖部切除技巧加快膀胱尿道吻合时间在腹腔镜前列腺癌根治术（1aparoscopic radical prostatectomy,LRP））中的应用。42例患者随机分为两组,21例行标准的LRP（1组）,21例行改良的LRP（2组）,收集患者外科资料、总手术时间、膀胱输尿管吻合时间（vesico—urethral anastomosis,VUA）,尿液外渗率、留置尿管时间、吻合口狭窄的复发、早期和晚期尿控等情况并比较分析。两组之间临床病例参数无统计学意义：总手术时间、VUA时间、失血量和留置尿管时间2组较l组明显减少（P〈0．01）;尿液的外渗率,术后吻合口狭窄两组之间无统计学意义（P〉0．05）;术后3和30天,改良组控尿率明显好于标准组（P〈0．01）,而术后90天两组控尿率无差别（P〉0．05）;提示这种新的改良的前列腺尖部切除技术能够加快UVA时间、提高手术效率,同时能够早期恢复控尿。     

Delayed recovery of urinary continence after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy

AIM: To study the rate at which patients regained urinary continence during our institution's early experience with laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. METHODS: The urinary continence of 34 patients was recorded at various intervals following laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. These data were compared with those from 49 patients who had undergone radical retropubic prostatectomy. RESULTS: For laparoscopic prostatectomy patients, 2.9% had regained urinary continence at 1 month, 29.4% at 3 months, 46.9% at 6 months, 56.0% at 9 months and 60.0% at 12 months. For retropubic prostatectomy patients, the corresponding rates were 22.4% at 1 month, 63.3% at 3 months, 84.1% at 6 months, 92.9% at 9 months and 92.9% at 12 months. Backward stepwise logistic regression analysis indicated that laparoscopic surgery itself significantly predicted urinary incontinence at every interval from 1 to 9 months following surgery (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Patients' postoperative recovery of urinary continence was not satisfactory in our early experience with laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Further efforts to elucidate the reason for this poor functional outcome are mandatory before the procedure is accepted as part of standard practice.     

Technical description and outcomes of a continuous anastomosis in open radical prostatectomy

OBJECTIVE

To describe the surgical technique, objective and subjective medium‐term outcomes of a novel continuous vesico‐urethral anastomotic suture in open radical prostatectomy (ORP).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A continuous anastomosis comprising separate anterior and posterior monofilament 3–0 polydioxanone sutures, with the bladder neck ‘parachuted’ down on to the urethral stump, was used in 39 consecutive patients. A cystogram was taken after ORP in the first 23 patients. The catheter was removed as soon as patients were fully mobile. A validated postal questionnaire to determine continence and its effect on quality of life was sent to all patients ≥3 months after ORP.

RESULTS

The mean follow‐up was 18 months; there were no major complications. There was an insignificant or no leak in 91% of the patients who had a cystogram. Before discharge, 33 patients reported that they were continent, whilst five required a pad(s) for stress incontinence, and one was discharged with a catheter after failing the first catheter removal. Of the 95% who completed the questionnaire, 95% either did not leak urine, or only leaked a small amount; 84% of patients reported that leaking had a minimal effect on everyday life. No patients developed symptomatic urethral or bladder neck stricture/contracture.

CONCLUSIONS

Our technique of continuous anastomotic suturing for ORP is safe, reliable and well tolerated. Further randomized studies are warranted to compare the outcome with the standard interrupted vesico‐urethral anastomosis.     

Robot-assisted versus three-dimensional laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: 12-month outcomes of a randomised controlled trial

Objectives

To compare functional and oncological outcomes of robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) to three-dimensional laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (3D-LRP) at 12 months after surgery.

Patients and methods

Prospective randomised single-centre study of 145 consecutive men referred to radical prostatectomy in a tertiary referral centre in Finland. Patients were randomised 1:1 to the RALP (N = 75) and 3D-LRP (N = 70) groups. The primary outcome was urinary continence evaluated with the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite 26-item version (EPIC-26) incontinence domain score at 12 months after surgery. Secondary outcomes included the use of protective pads at 12 months after surgery, EPIC-26 domain scores of irritative/obstructive, bowel, sexual and hormonal symptoms, positive surgical margin (PSM) rate, and biochemical recurrence (BCR). Complication frequency within the 3-month period after surgery was evaluated according to Clavien–Dindo classification. Statistical significance between groups was analysed using Mann–Whitney, chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. The trial was terminated after interim analysis based on no statistically significant difference in EPIC-26 urinary incontinence domain scores. Altogether 145 patients of the target accrual of 280 patients were recruited.

Results

Postoperative continence at 12 months after surgery according to the EPIC-26 incontinence domain was 79.25 in both groups (P = 0.4). Between group difference was −5.8 (95% confidence interval –15.2 to 3.6). There was no statistically significant difference in the rates of PSM or BCR between the two surgical modality groups.

Conclusion

We were unable to demonstrate a difference between the RALP and 3D-LRP groups for functional and oncological outcomes at 12 months after surgery.     

Surgical margin status of open versus laparoscopic radical prostatectomy specimens

Objectives:   To compare the surgical margin (SM) status between open and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RRP and LRP, respectively) specimens.
Methods:   Surgical specimens from 137 patients undergoing LRP and 220 patients undergoing RRP for clinically localized prostate cancer were included in the analysis. SM status in each resected specimen, including the number of positive SM as well as their location, was examined.
Results:   The incidence of positive SM in the LRP group was significantly greater than that in the RRP group. Despite the lack of significant difference in the proportion of solitary positive SM between these two groups, the proportion of multiple positive SM in the LRP group was significantly greater than that in the RRP group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of anterior positive SM between the two groups, while the incidences of positive SM at the apex, posterior site and bladder neck in the LRP group were significantly greater than those in the RRP group. Furthermore, there were no significant preoperative parameters predicting positive SM in the LRP group. On the other hand, the biopsy Gleason score and clinical T stage were identified as significant predictors of positive SM in the RRP group, of which the biopsy Gleason score was independently related to the presence of positive SM.
Conclusions:   Clinical T stage and Gleason score could be useful predictors of SM status following RRP, while positive SM in LRP specimens were detected irrespective of preoperative parameters, suggesting the need for an effort for further refining the LRP procedure.