Robotic pediatric urology

Abstract

The number of current advances in robotic surgery for the pediatric population is growing every day: the different procedures range from extirpative to reconstructive, including pyeloplasty, reimplantation, catheterizable channels and augmentation. Despite its early success, robotic surgery still poses many challenges in pediatric patients. Robotics also allows the seasoned laparoscopist to become more proficient and refined, providing a greater armamentarium to expand minimally invasive surgery to more complex reconstructive procedures. The procedure most performed with the da Vinci Surgical System in pediatric urology is pyeloplasty for ureteropelvic junction obstruction. There are many other procedures that can be performed with the robot, such as ureteral reimplantation, and nephrectomy, both total and partial. The reconstructive aspect has been taken to the next level where more difficult procedures, such as appendicovesicostomy and bladder augmentation, can be performed in children.