Faculty Bibliography

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND:Buccal mucosal grafts (BMG) are traditionally used in urethral reconstruction. There may be insufficient BMG for applications requiring large grafts, such as urethral stricture after gender-affirming phalloplasty. Rectal mucosa in lieu of BMG avoids oral impairment, while potentially affording less postoperative pain and larger graft dimensions. Transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) using laparoscopic instruments has been described. Due to technical challenges of harvesting a sizable graft within the rectal lumen, we adopted a new robotic approach. We demonstrate the feasibility and safety of a novel technique of Robotic TAMIS (R-TAMIS) in the harvest of rectal mucosa for the purpose of onlay graft urethroplasty. METHODS:Path Transanal Access. Mucosa was harvested robotically after submucosal hydrodissection. Graft size harvested correlated with surface area needed for urethral or vaginal reconstruction. Following specimen retrieval, flexible sigmoidoscopy confirmed hemostasis. The graft was placed as an onlay for urethroplasty. RESULTS:There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications. Mean graft size was 11.4 × 3.0 cm. All reconstructions had excellent graft take. All patients recovered without morbidity or mortality. They reported minimal postoperative pain and all regained bowel function on postoperative day one. Patients with prior BMG harvests subjectively self-reported less postoperative pain and greater quality of life. There have been no long-term complications at a median follow-up of 17 months. CONCLUSIONS:To our knowledge, this is the first use of R-TAMIS for rectal mucosa harvest. Our preliminary series indicates this approach is feasible and safe, constituting a promising minimally invasive technique for urethral reconstruction. Prospective studies evaluating graft outcomes and donor site morbidity with more long-term follow-up are needed.

Introduction & Objective: Buccal mucosal grafts (BMG) are traditionally used in urethral reconstruction; however, rectal mucosa is an alternative with less post-operative pain, no impairment in eating and speaking, and larger attainable graft dimension. Laparoscopic transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) has been described by our group. Due to the technical challenges of harvesting a sizable graft within a confined space, we adopted a new approach using the Intuitive da Vinci Xi system. We present a video which fully demonstrates our technique in the novel procedure of Robotic TAMIS (R-TAMIS) rectal mucosal harvest, for the purpose of onlay graft urethroplasty.
Method(s): A 53-year-old transgender male presented with postphalloplasty urethral stricture and underwent robotic rectal mucosal harvest. His past surgical history included vaginectomy and metoidioplasty usingBMGin 2008, followed by right forearmfree flap phalloplasty five months prior to presentation. The procedure was first demonstrated in an animal model using bovine colon. IRB approval was obtained. The surgery was performed under general anesthesia with the patient in lithotomy position. The GelPOINTTM Path Transanal Access Platform was used. As demonstrated, the rectal mucosa was dissected using robotic instruments after submucosal hydrodissection. Following specimen retrieval, flexible sigmoidoscopy was used to ensure hemostasis. The rectal mucosa graft was placed as an onlay for urethroplasty.
Result(s): Harvested graft size was 3.5 x 10cm, correlating well with surface area needed for urethral reconstruction as determined by the urologist. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications, and the patient recovered well, without morbidity or mortality. He regained bowel function on the first postoperative day, and reported significantly less postoperative pain in comparison to his prior BMG harvest.
Conclusion(s): To our knowledge, this is the first use of R-TAMIS for harvest of rectal mucosal graft. The robotic approach is safe and feasible. This is a promising minimally-invasive technique to harvest rectal mucosa, which can be used for urethral or vaginal reconstruction. Demonstrated feasibility and potential avoidance of the challenging recovery associated withBMGharvest warrants further application and long-term evaluation of this procedure

Introduction & Objective: To demonstrate the technique and the outcomes of robot assisted Y-V plasty bladder neck reconstruction (RYVBNR).
Method(s): We present our technique for treatment of recalcitrant bladder neck contracture (BNC) in seven patients who underwent RYVBNR at our institution between March 2016 and September 2017. Indication for the procedure was incomplete emptying, recurrent urinary tract infections and dysuria. On follow-up, patients were assessed for clinical success by absence of infections, symptoms and cystoscopic evaluation. Robotic assisted dissection is performed to open the space of Retzius and mobilize the bladder. The cystoscope is passed to the level of the BNC, and FireflyTM technology is used to localize the BNC. The BNC is incised anteriorly, and a V-shaped bladder flap is advanced into the BNC in a Y-V plasty fashion (figure 1). We place a perioperative closed suction drain, which is removed before discharge, and a catheter which will be removed in the office at approximately two weeks.
Result(s): Six men with recalcitrant BNCs and one with recalcitrant vesicourethral anastomotic stenosis underwent treatment (figure 2). All patients had previously undergone an endoscopic procedure. Median time for last attempt at endoscopic management to RABNR was 4.7 months. The average number of prior attempts at endoscopic management was 2. All patients underwent RYVBNR without conversion to open surgery. The median operative time was 240min, estimated blood loss was 67 ml, and length of stay was 1 day. There were no intraoperative complications. Catheters were removed in the office at a median time of 15 days. At a median follow-up of 8 months, all cases were successful with no evidence of recurrence. Only two patients had persistent urinary incontinence at 1 pad per day.
Conclusion(s): RYVBNR with a Y-V plasty is a feasible and effective technique for managing a difficult reconstructive problem. (Table Presented)

OBJECTIVE:To review a robotic approach to recalcitrant bladder neck obstruction and to assess success and incontinence rates. MATERIALS AND METHODS/METHODS:Patients with a recalcitrant bladder neck contracture or vesicourethral anastomotic stenosis who underwent robotic bladder neck reconstruction (RBNR) were identified. We reviewed patient demographics, medical history, etiology, previous endoscopic management, cystoscopic and symptomatic outcomes, urinary continence, and complications. Stricture success was anatomic and functional based upon atraumatic passage of a 17 Fr flexible cystoscope or uroflowmetry rate >15 ml/s. Incontinence was defined as the use of >1 pad per day or procedures for incontinence. RESULTS:Between 2015 and 2017, 12 patients were identified who met study criteria and underwent RBNR. Etiology of obstruction was endoscopic prostate procedure in 7 and radical prostatectomy in 5. The mean operative time was 216 minutes (range 120-390 minutes), with a mean estimated blood loss of 85 cc (range 5-200 cc). Median length of stay was 1 day (range 1-5 days). Three of 12 patients had recurrence of obstruction for a 75% success rate. Additionally, 82% of patients without preoperative incontinence were continent with a median follow-up of 13.5 months (range 5-30 months). There was 1 Clavien IIIb complication of osteitis pubis and pubovesical fistula that required vesicopubic fistula repair with pubic bone debridement. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:RBNR is a viable surgical option with high patency rates and favorable continence outcomes. This is in contrast to perineal reconstruction, which has high incontinence rates. If future incontinence procedures are needed, outcomes may be improved given lack of previous perineal dissection.

OBJECTIVE:To demonstrate the technique and the outcomes of robot assisted Y-V plasty bladder neck reconstruction (RYVBNR). METHODS:technology is used to localize the BNC. The BNC is incised anteriorly, and a V-shaped bladder flap is advanced into the BNC in a Y-V plasty fashion. We place a perioperative closed suction drain, which is removed before discharge, and a 22 Fr catheter which will be removed in the office at approximately two weeks. RESULTS:Six men developed recalcitrant BNCs and one developed a recalcitrant vesicourethral anastomotic stenosis. All patients had previously undergone an endoscopic procedure. Median time for last attempt at endoscopic management to RABNR was 4.7 months. The average number of prior attempts at endoscopic management was 2. All patients underwent RYVBNR without conversion to open surgery. The median operative time was 240min, estimated blood loss was 67 ml, and length of stay was 1 day. There were no intraoperative complications. Catheters were removed in the office at a median time of 15 days. At a median follow-up of 8 months, all cases were successful with no evidence of recurrence. Only two patients had persistent urinary incontinence at 1 pad per day. CONCLUSIONS:RYVBNR with a Y-V plasty is a feasible, and effective technique for managing a difficult reconstructive problem.

BACKGROUND:Minimally invasive treatment of long, multifocal ureteral strictures or failed pyeloplasty is challenging. Robot-assisted buccal mucosa graft ureteroplasty (RBU) is a technique for ureteral reconstruction that avoids the morbidity of bowel interposition or autotransplantation. OBJECTIVE:To evaluate outcomes for RBU in a multi-institutional cohort of patients treated for revision ureteropelvic junction obstruction and long or multifocal ureteral stricture at three tertiary referral centers. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS/METHODS:This retrospective study involved data for 19 patients treated with RBU at three high-volume centers between October 2013 and July 2016. SURGICAL PROCEDURE/METHODS:RBU was performed using either an onlay graft after incising the stricture or an augmented anastomotic repair in which the ureter was transected and re-anastomosed primarily on one side, and a graft was placed on the other side. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS/UNASSIGNED:Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables and outcomes were assessed. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS/CONCLUSIONS:The onlay technique was used for 79%, while repair was carried out using the augmented anastomotic technique for the remaining cases. The reconstruction was reinforced with omentum in 95% of cases. The ureteral stricture location was proximal in 74% and mid in 26% of cases. A prior failed ureteral reconstruction was present in 53% of patients. The median stricture length was 4.0cm (range 2.0-8.0), operative time was 200min (range 136-397), estimated blood loss was 95ml (range 25-420), and length of stay was 2 d (range 1-15). There were no intraoperative complications. At median follow-up of 26 mo, the overall success rate was 90%. CONCLUSIONS:RBU is a feasible and effective technique for managing complex proximal and mid ureteral strictures. PATIENT SUMMARY/UNASSIGNED:We studied robotic surgery for long ureteral strictures using grafts at three referral centers. Our results demonstrate that robotic buccal mucosa graft ureteroplasty is a feasible and effective technique for ureteral reconstruction.

Introduction The advent of robotics may promote the dissemination of partial nephrectomy, and allow patients to experience survival and functional benefits compared to radical nephrectomy. Therefore, we assessed the impact of hospital acquisition of a robotic surgery platform on the rate of partial nephrectomy recorded in a nationwide database. Methods We identified 53,364 patients with a diagnosis of localized renal cell carcinoma who underwent extirpative surgery from 2006 to 2012 using the Perspective database. Procedures were categorized based on extent of surgery (radical nephrectomy vs partial nephrectomy), approach (open, laparoscopic, robotic) and hospital ownership of a surgical robot. Changes in the proportion of partial nephrectomies performed over time and the effect of acquiring a surgical robot on the proportion of partial nephrectomies performed were assessed with multivariable logistic regression. Results Overall 40,147 (75.2%) radical nephrectomies and 13,217 (24.8%) partial nephrectomies were performed between 2006 and 2012. The proportion of hospitals using a surgical robot for renal cancer surgery increased from 1.8% in the first quarter of 2006 to 47.7% by the end of 2012. Partial nephrectomy use ranged from 19.1% to 31.2%. More robotic hospitals performed partial nephrectomy than nonrobotic hospitals (29.6% vs 18.0%, p <0.001). After acquisition of a surgical robot the partial nephrectomy rate increased from 16.4% to 34.3% (p <0.001). Hospitals with a robot were more likely to use partial nephrectomy than radical nephrectomy (OR 1.464, CI 1.39-1.54, p <0.001). Conclusions While laparoscopic partial nephrectomy remains a challenging operation, this study demonstrates that hospital ownership of a surgical robot is associated with increased use of partial nephrectomy in the treatment of localized renal masses.