LAUSR

Purpose Robotic-assisted simple prostatectomy (RASP) is an established surgical procedure for the management of obstructive symptoms caused by large adenomas. Traditionally, this is performed according to the trans-vescical (Freyer) or trans-capsular (Millin) technique. We recently described a novel urethra-sparing (Madigan) robotic technique which showed promising preliminary results. In this study, we compared the above techniques for perioperative and 1-year patient-reported outcomes. Methods We retrospectively collected data from patients who underwent RASP across the three techniques, performed by two experienced surgeons in our center. We assessed patient self-reported pre-operative and post-operative functional outcomes with validated questionnaires: IPSS, IIEF short form, ICIQ short form, MSHQ Short Form. Continuous and categorical variables were compared between groups using the Mood’s median test and the Chi-square tests, respectively. Results Millin, Madigan and Freyer procedures were performed in 23 (51%), 14 (31%) and 8 (18%) cases, respectively. No significant differences were observed for baseline ASA score, BMI, prostate volume, IPSS, IIEF, ICIQ and MSHQ scores (all p  ≥ 0.2), as well as post-operative obstructive symptoms relief (IPSS: p  = 0.25), continence (ICIQ: p  = 0.54), complication rates ( p  = 0.32) and hospital stay ( p  = 0.23). Operative time was longer for Madigan procedures ( p  = 0.05). The 1-year MSHQ and IIEF scores were significantly higher in the Madigan cohort ( p  = 0.008 and p  = 0.04, respectively). Conclusion RASP proved to be a safe surgical approach, providing an effective and durable relief of obstructive symptoms at mid-term follow-up regardless of the technique used. The Madigan technique provided significant benefits in terms of self-assessed quality of sexual function.