Publications by authors named "Nikolaos Liakos"

Current guidelines recommend radical nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff excision as the standard surgical treatment for high-risk upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). While large evidence is available regarding open and laparoscopic nephroureterectomy, data focusing on robotic nephroureterectomy (RNU) in UTUC are mostly limited with mixed results, especially in locally advanced disease. In light of the recent introduction of new robotic platforms, it is of utmost importance to further investigate oncologic outcomes associated with RNU.

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Article Synopsis
  • Robotic-assisted DIEP flap harvest is a new technique for autologous breast reconstruction that aims to reduce donor-site complications by minimizing incision lengths.
  • The first robotic-assisted procedure in Germany was conducted in April 2023, involving a collaborative effort among various departments at the University Hospital of Freiburg, along with a retrospective analysis of suitable patients and cost.
  • Results showed that out of 65 DIEP flaps analyzed, specific criteria (short intramuscular course and perforator size) were crucial for this method, suggesting a potential reduction in fascial incision length by nearly 97 mm.
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Purpose: To access the current scenario of robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy training in multiple centers worldwide.

Methods: We created a multiple-choice questionnaire assessing all details of robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy training with 41 questions divided into three different categories (responder demography, surgical steps, and responder experience). The questionnaire was created and disseminated using the "Google Docs" platform.

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Background: Multiple and heterogeneous techniques have been described for orthotopic neobladder (ONB) reconstruction after robot-assisted radical cystectomy. Nonetheless, a systematic assessment of all the available options is lacking.

Objective: To provide the first comprehensive step-by-step description of all the available techniques for robotic intracorporeal ONB together with individual intraoperative, perioperative and functional outcomes based on a systematic review of the literature.

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Purpose: Salvage robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (S-RARP) has gained prominence in recent years for treating patients with cancer recurrence following non-surgical treatments of Prostate Cancer. We conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the role and outcomes of S-RARP over the past decade.

Material And Methods: A systematic review was conducted, encompassing articles published between January 1st, 2013, and June 1st, 2023, on S-RARP outcomes.

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Objective: To compare binary metrics and Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills (GEARS) evaluations of training outcome assessments for reliability, sensitivity, and specificity.

Background: GEARS-Likert-scale skills assessment are a widely accepted tool for robotic surgical training outcome evaluations. Proficiency-based progression (PBP) training is another methodology but uses binary performance metrics for evaluations.

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Background: As a local treatment for prostate cancer (PCa), robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) may have a quality of life (QoL) benefit over open surgery. Recent analyses revealed substantial between-country differences in the function and symptom scale scores for the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), which is typically used to assess patient-reported QoL. Such differences could have implications for multinational studies in PCa.

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Background: Robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) is a challenging procedure that is influenced by a multitude of factors.

Objective: To assess the impact of prior surgical experience on perioperative outcomes in RAPN.

Design Setting And Participants: In this retrospective multicenter study, results for 2548 RAPNs performed by 25 surgeons at eight robotic referral centers were analyzed.

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Background: Since the introduction of minimally invasive surgery, the number of simulation models available for teaching new surgeons has continued to increase.

Objective: To evaluate and validate use of a model for teaching robot-assisted pyeloplasty.

Design Setting And Participants: Twenty simulated robot-assisted pyeloplasty procedures were performed by experienced ( = 4) and novice ( = 16) surgeons using a chicken crop model at two different training centers using third- and fourth-generation robotic systems.

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Radical cystectomy with intracorporeal neobladder formation is a well-established treatment for patients with muscle-invasive urothelial cancer of the bladder. After the wide implementation of robotic systems, numerous centers increasingly offer intracorporeal neobladder construction using robotic staple devices. Stone formation at the area of staple material migration is a long-term complication, as staple material may migrate through the neobladder wall and act as a nidus for urine crystal aggregation.

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Objective: To assess suitability of Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI) vs. Clavien-Dindo classification (CDC) to capture 30-day morbidity after robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC).

Materials And Methods: A total of 128 patients with bladder cancer (BCa) undergoing intracorporeal RARC with pelvic lymph node dissection between 2015 and 2021 were included in a retrospective bi-institutional study, which adhered to standardized reporting criteria.

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Objective: To compare surgical, oncological and functional outcomes between obese vs. normal-weight prostate cancer (PCa) patients treated with robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

Materials And Methods: We assessed 4555 consecutive RARP patients from a high-volume center 2008-2018.

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Objectives: There is a recent paradigm shift to extend robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) to very senior prostate cancer (PCa) patients based on biological fitness, comorbidities, and clinical PCa assessment that approximates the true risk of progression. Thus, we aimed to assess misclassification rates between clinical vs. pathological PCa burden.

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Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of concomitant prostate cancer (PCa) of the cancer-specific mortality (CSM) in the aging patient's papulation with bladder cancer (BCa) treated with radical cystoprostatectomy (RCP).

Materials And Methods: Within the SEER database (2004-2015), 1468 patients were treated with RCP for BCa harboring histopathological PCa findings. To account for other cause mortality (OCM), multivariable competing risk regression (CRR) tested for potential BCa-CSM differences according to PCa characteristics risk factors predicting CSM.

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The quality of life (QoL) of men with optimal outcomes after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) is largely unexplored. Thus we assessed meaningful changes of QoL measured with the EORTC QLQ-C30 24 months after RARP according to postsurgical Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment score (CAPRA-S) and pentafecta criteria. 2871 prostate cancer (PCa) patients with completed EORTC QLQ-C30 were stratified according to CAPRA-S, pentafecta (erectile function recovery, urinary continence recovery, biochemical-recurrence-free survival (BFS), negative surgical margins) and 90-day Clavien-Dindo-complications (CDC) ≤ 3a.

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Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess whether age ≥75 years impairs surgical, functional, and oncological outcomes after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

Materials And Methods: Patients with prostate cancer (PCa) were stratified in ≥75( = 669) vs. <70 years( = 8,268).

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The aim of this study was to assess clinically meaningful differences of preoperative lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and quality of life (QoL) before and after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Therefore we identified 5506 RARP patients from 2007 to 2018 with completed International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and -QoL questionnaires before and 12 months after RARP in our institution. Marked clinically important difference (MCID) was defined by using the strictest IPSS-difference of - 8 points.

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Several benefits have been reported after applying the principles of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) into the perioperative care of patients undergoing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Nevertheless, there are still barriers. We aimed to identify the key areas by systematically surveying urology departments in Germany and Austria.

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Purpose: Prostate cancer patients who are scheduled for robot-assisted radical prostatectomy often have a history of transurethral resection or laser enucleation of the prostate as treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. We examined if these patients have impaired surgical, functional and oncologic outcomes compared to those who have no symptom burden of moderate to severe benign prostatic hyperplasia and no previous transurethral resection or laser enucleation of the prostate.

Materials And Methods: We compared 368 robot-assisted radical prostatectomy patients with previous transurethral resection or laser enucleation of the prostate (group A) to 4,945 robot-assisted radical prostatectomy patients without transurethral resection or laser enucleation of the prostate and without moderate or severe benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms (group B) at a high-volume robot-assisted radical prostatectomy center.

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