The following is a summary of “Preliminary Surgical Outcomes After Single Incision Robotic Cystectomy (SIRC),” published in the JANUARY 2023 issue of Urology by Tyson, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to report on the surgical outcomes of a new technique called Single Incision Robotic Cystectomy (SIRC) and to test the hypothesis that patients undergoing this procedure require less analgesic medication compared to those for whom SIRC was attempted but converted to open during the study period.

The retrospective study included patients who underwent SIRC using the Da Vinci Single Port (SP) robot between March 2021 and March 2022. The study reported on the perioperative outcomes of 41 SIRC patients. It tested the hypothesis that SIRC patients require lower analgesic medication by comparing them to a cohort of patients for whom SIRC was attempted but converted to open during the study period.

Of the 41 SIRC patients, 17 (41%) underwent conversion to open. The median operative time was 480 minutes, and the median length of hospitalization was 7 days. About 50% of the SIRC patients underwent orthotopic neobladder reconstruction, and 13% underwent concomitant nephroureterectomy or urethrectomy. There was no significant difference in analgesic requirements between the SIRC and converted groups (SIRC: 81.4; converted: 77.0; P = .64). However, 17% of SIRC patients required readmission to the hospital, 17% developed small bowel obstruction or ileus, and 13% required a blood transfusion.

The study showed that SIRC is a safe and feasible technique with a high utilization rate of neobladders. Adopting the technique more widely may lead to greater utilization of neobladders in patients undergoing robotic cystectomy.

Reference: goldjournal.net/article/S0090-4295(22)00958-X/fulltext