Robotic-Assisted intracorporeal urinary diversion

The creation of the urinary diversion is a challenging surgical part after radical cystectomy and holds a special place in the development of urological practice. Following cystectomy, urine can either be diverted into an incontinent stoma, into a continent urinary reservoir catheterised by the patient or controlled by the anal sphincter, or into an orthotopic bladder substitute so that the patient voids per urethra. During the last decade, urologists worldwide have witnessed a tremendous development of laparoscopic surgical treatment due to the development of robot-assisted surgery in many urological diseases. In parallel, the interest in expanding the role of robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) for the management of urinary bladder cancer has risen during the last years and continues to grow. Robotic-assisted laparoscopic techniques have emerged allowing surgeons to more readily overcome the difficult learning curve and shorten operative times in minimally invasive abdominal and pelvic operations.