OBJECTIVES:To explore the effects of ischaemia time (IT) in a multicentre cohort of patients with solitary kidney (SK), treated with partial nephrectomy (PN) for a renal mass, on short- and long-term kidney function, haemorrhagic risk and pathological outcomes. METHODS:This is an observational study of 426 patients with SK treated with on- and off-clamp PN for a single cT1-3 N0M0 renal mass from 2000 to 2023 at 19 global institutions. The primary outcomes were postoperative and 1-year renal function. The secondary outcomes of the study were haemorrhagic risk, defined as estimated blood loss (EBL) and peri-operative transfusions, and presence of positive surgical margins. The effect of IT and arterial clamping strategy was estimated using linear and logistic regressions for continuous and categorical outcomes, respectively. RESULTS:On-clamp PN was performed in 56% of patients (n = 237). The median (interquartile range [IQR]) age, body mass index, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), clinical size and PADUA score were 65 (58-71) years, 27 (24-29) kg/m2, 58 (45-46) mL/min, 3 (2-4.2) cm and 8 (7-10), respectively. The median (IQR) duration of IT was 19 (13-25) min. In multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses (MVA), IT was not associated with decreased postoperative eGFR (estimate -0.08 mL/min; P = 0.3) or 1-year eGFR (estimate -0.1 mL/min; P = 0.2). No association between on-clamp strategy and eGFR decline was recorded either postoperatively (estimate -3.11 mL/min; P = 0.1) or at 1 year (estimate -3.12 mL/min; P = 0.1). The median (IQR) EBL was lower in the on-clamp group at 200 (100-400) mL vs 300 (145-500) mL in the off-clamp group. In MVA predicting haemorrhagic risk, arterial clamping was associated with lower risk of transfusions (odds ratio 0.45; P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS:In patients with SK, on-clamp PN did not affect long-term renal function and was associated with a modestly lower need for peri-operative transfusion. The routine use of the off-clamp technique is therefore not supported by these findings, although its selective application may remain appropriate in cases with a high risk of renal function decline.
OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of proficiency-based progression (PBP) training compared to conventional surgical training approaches, and to determine whether PBP training implementation is economically justified when scaled to large numbers of trainees. METHODS:Economic analysis was performed using data from the prospective, randomised, and blinded Orsi Surgical Skills E-learning Trial (OSSET; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04541615) at ORSI Academy (Belgium), where 47 medical trainees without prior robotic surgery experience were randomised into four groups, each with progressively reduced adherence to the PBP methodology. All trainees completed simulation-based training on a validated bladder-urethra anastomosis model, ranging from full PBP training with metric-based assessment and proficiency benchmarks (Group 1) to a traditional apprenticeship model (Group 4). The primary outcome was training cost, evaluated per trainee and based on programme scalability (12-500 trainees), including expenses for accommodation, laboratory time, and metric development. Cost equivalence points and scalability thresholds were identified to compare the financial impact of the four training strategies. RESULTS:The PBP training was more expensive than conventional methods for small cohorts (e.g. €14 139 vs €7067 per trainee for 12 trainees), but became significantly more cost-effective beyond 25 trainees (equivalence point). At 500 trainees, total PBP training cost was €1.69 million compared to €3.53 million for conventional training, a 110% cost advantage. All differences were statistically significant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:We conclude that PBP training is significantly more effective and becomes increasingly cost-efficient as the number of trainees increases. These findings support its integration into high-volume national training programmes, offering a scalable and economically sustainable alternative to apprenticeship-based surgical education.
Background and objective:The aim of our study was to compare assessment of PADUA and RENAL nephrometry scores and risk/complexity categories via two-dimensional (2D) imaging and three-dimensional virtual models (3DVM) in a large multi-institutional cohort of renal masses suitable for robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN), and evaluate the predictive role of these imaging approaches for postoperative complications. Methods:Patients were prospectively enrolled from six international high-volume robotic centers, calculating PADUA and RENAL-nephrometry scores and their relative categories with 2D-imaging and 3DVMs. The concordance of nephrometry scores and categories between the two approaches was evaluated using χ2 tests and Cohen's κ coefficient. Receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the 3DVM and 2D approaches for predicting the occurrence of postoperative complications. Multivariable logistic analyses were conducted to identify predictors of major postoperative complications. Key findings and limitations:A total of 318 patients were included in the study. There was low concordance for nephrometry scores and categories between the 3DVM and 2D assessment methods, with downgrading of PADUA and RENAL scores on 3DVM assessment in 43% and 49% of cases, and downgrading of the corresponding categories in 25% and 26%, respectively. Moreover, 3DVM assessment showed better accuracy than the 2D approach in predicting overall (p < 0.001) and major (p = 0.001) postoperative complications. In line with these findings, multivariable analyses showed that 3DVM-based nephrometry scores and categories were predictive of major postoperative complications (p < 0.001). Limitations include the risk of interobserver variability in evaluating nephrometry scores and categories, production costs for the 3DVMs, and the experience of the surgeons involved, with potential impacts on diffusion of this technology. Conclusions and clinical implications:In this multi-institutional study, 3DVMs had superior accuracy to 2D images for evaluating the surgical complexity of renal masses and frequently led to downgrading. This could facilitate an increase in recommendations for kidney-sparing surgery and better identification of cases at risk of postoperative complications. Patient summary:Our study shows that the use of three-dimensional models gives lower complexity scores for kidney tumors in comparison to standard two-dimensional scans. This can improve surgical planning and may boost the use of kidney-sparing techniques and better identification of cases that are more likely to have postoperative complications.
