Cost comparison of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy and robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.

402 Background: Although nephron-sparing surgery is the standard of care for the treatment of small renal masses, partial nephrectomy (PN) remains under-utilized. A potential reason for the discrepancy is the desire for minimally invasive surgical approaches but limitation of the advanced laparoscopic techniques needed to perform PN. Robot-assisted surgery has eased the transition to minimally invasive prostate surgery and may also do so for PN, although some believe costs may be prohibitive. The purpose of this investigation was to quantify the cost of robot-assisted PN (RAPN) compared to laparoscopic PN (LPN). Methods: An institutional renal tumor database was used to identify consecutive patients with normal renal function who underwent RAPN for a localized renal mass by a single surgeon who had performed < 25 previously. The 35 RAPN patients were compared to the last 35 similar patients who underwent LPN by a surgeon who had performed > 150 previous LPNs. Surgical outcomes were compared. Because room time, length of stay and Cxs were similar, cost was compared based only on the total operating room charges (ORC). Total ORC included surgeon and anesthesia fees, as well as labor and supply costs. The depreciation of the robot was included in the ORC as a higher per unit time charge than for LPN. Data on charges were available for the first 29 RAPN patients which were then compared to the last 29 LPN patients. Results: Dates of operation ranged from October 2008 to July 2009 for LPN and January 2010 to August 2010 for RAPN. Patient and tumor characteristics were similar between groups, except tumor size, which was larger in the RAPN group (3.6 ± 1.8 cm vs. 2.7 ± 0.9 cm, p = 0.007). Cxs, surgical and oncologic outcomes were similar. Mean ORC (IQR) for the LPN group was $28,606 (4,796) and for the RAPN group was $30,874 (20,389) representing a difference of $2,269. If you subtract an additional $858 for the average yearly inflation rate (3%), the difference is $1,411. Conclusions: RAPN is a safe option with perioperative outcomes similar to those of LPN performed by an experienced surgeon. A cost difference of $2,269 per procedure as estimated using ORC may decrease as the experience of the operating room staff and surgeon increase. No significant financial relationships to disclose.