Robotic radical prostatectomy after aborted prostatectomy: still feasible? The experience from a tertiary care center

To describe the surgical management of patients who had radical prostatectomy previously attempted but aborted due to diverse causes. Patients who underwent an “aborted prostatectomy” were extracted from the institutional prostatectomy database. A description of the tailored robotic approach was reported for each case. Tips and tricks for the accomplishment of robotic prostatectomy after aborted prostatectomy were reported. Six clinical cases were analyzed. Three patients had aborted prostatectomy due to complicated dissection hindered by pelvic mesh and bowel adhesions; one prostatectomy was aborted due to anesthesiology/respiratory matters; one for narrow pelvis; one due to abnormal pelvic vascular anatomy. All patients successfully underwent robotic prostatectomy at our institution. In five patients, standard transperitoneal robotic approach was performed. In one patient, robotic transperineal approach was mandatory. Median operative time was 282 min (86–460). Median estimated blood loss was 325 mL (50–1000). Two patients had positive surgical margins. One patient was found with nodal metastasis at final pathology. Neither perioperative nor postoperative complications were reported. At last follow-up, PSA was undetectable in 5/6 patients. Even after previous aborted prostatectomy, robot-assisted prostatectomy is feasible, with acceptable results. The case-by-case tailoring of the technique is the key for a successful intervention.