Peter K.F. Chiu, MD, PhD, FRCSEd, Associate Consultant and Honorary Clinical Assistant Professor at the Prince of Wales Hospital at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, interviews Koon Ho Rha, MD, PhD, Professor of Urology and Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery at Yonsei University Medical School on Retzius-sparing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RS-RALP), a technique intended to preserve continence in patients who must undergo radical prostatectomy. Dr. Rha explains that incontinence is one of the biggest concerns about radical prostatectomy the patients he treats have, and RS-RALP appears to have better outcomes in this area than standard RALP since it preserves more key structures. He goes over the history of the technique and then discusses its pros and cons, highlighting the potentially excellent early preservation of continence and potency but also the difficulty of the procedure, especially in patients with large prostates. Dr. Rha then shows and discusses a video of an RS-RALP procedure. He concludes that RS-RALP is a valuable additional technique in the contemporary robotic surgical armamentarium that may especially benefit patients over 70.
