Anatomy and proposed extent of pelvic lymph node dissection

Abstract

  The concept of pelvic lymph node dissection has changed significantly over time. In January 2023, the Japanese Society of Urological Endoscopy and Robotics established a working group on standardization of robot-assisted pelvic lymph node dissection, where experts discussed the optimal extent of pelvic lymph node dissection in the era of robotic surgery. This paper describes the pelvic anatomy necessary for pelvic lymph node dissection and outlines the new concept of extent of pelvic lymph node dissection that we propose as an approach to standardization of robot-assisted pelvic lymph node dissection.