Abstract

  Partial nephrectomy is the standard treatment for small renal cell tumors, however, laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) for a hilar tumor is relatively hard to treat and open procedure is often selected. Robot-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy (RAPN) is superior than LPN at the point of Warm Ischemic Time (WIT) or complications. The location of tumor vascularity and urinary tract is easy to be obtained using reconstruction of 3D vascular image and TilePro^TM, especially for a hilar tumor. In such a case, advanced techniques should be needed for sufficiently separating renal vessels and urinary tract from the tumor. Since 2010, we experienced 135 cases of RAPN, including 18 cases of hilar tumors, and there were no cases for open conversion or radical nephrectomy. Operation time, WIT, and complications were not significantly different between hilar and non-hilar tumor cohorts. RAPN could be considered a useful procedure especially for a hilar tumor.