Home Neurology Robotic Cystectomy Approach Feasible for NLUTD and Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain

Robotic Cystectomy Approach Feasible for NLUTD and Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain

Robot-assisted laparoscopic supratrigonal cystectomy with augmentation cystoplasty is feasible, with acceptable complication rates

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, July 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) — For adults with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) or interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), robot-assisted laparoscopic supratrigonal cystectomy with augmentation cystoplasty (RA-SC-AC) is feasible, according to a study published in the July issue of BJUI Compass.

Thomas Batard, from Nantes Université in France, and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis of the records of adults who underwent RA-SC-AC between 2012 and 2020 to report long-term functional outcomes and complications. Seventy-one patients were included: 41 with NLUTD and 30 with IC/BPS; patients were followed for a median of 4.8 ± 2.2 years.

The researchers found that 36.7 percent of patients experienced early (<30 days) complications, which were mainly minor (Clavien ≤2). There were three major late complications: one bladder perforation and two bowel obstructions. Overall, 90.2 percent of the NLUTD patients achieved a low-pressure reservoir, and there was an increase noted in the continence rate, from 48.0 percent preoperatively to 92.7 percent. Pain scores decreased significantly in IC/BPS (7.8 ± 2.0 to 2.2 ± 0.4), and there was an increase seen in maximum cystometric capacity (112 ± 39 mL to 304 ± 54 mL). Surgical failures occurred in four patients (13.3 percent), whose severe symptoms persisted. De novo intermittent catheterization was required by 11 patients (36.7 percent).

“In our series, it resulted in durable improvements in bladder capacity, pain control and continence, with acceptable complication rates,” the authors write. “Future controlled or randomized studies should focus on delineating specific advantages of the robotic approach and further refining patient selection criteria, especially in complex referral-based populations.”

Two authors disclosed ties to Intuitive Surgical.


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