Robotic and laparoscopic high extended pelvic lymph node dissection during radical cystectomy: technique and outcomes.

Background: With the increasing use of laparoscopic and robotic radical cystectomy (RC), there are perceived concerns about the adequacy of lymph node dissection (LND).

Objective: Describe the robotic and laparoscopic technique and the short-term outcomes of high extended pelvic LND (PLND) up to the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) during RC.

Design, Setting, And Participants: From January 2007 through September 2009, we performed high extended PLND with proximal extent up to the IMA (n=10) or aortic bifurcation (n=5) in 15 patients undergoing robotic RC (n=4) or laparoscopic RC (n=11) at two institutions.