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Prediction of complications and surgical outcomes is of outmost importance even in patients with benign renal masses. The aim of our study is to test the PADUA, SPARE and R.E.N.A.L. scores to predict nephron sparing surgery (NSS) outcomes in patients presenting with renal angiomyolipoma (RAML).We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and pathological data of 93 patients with AML treated with robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) at three tertiary care referral centers. Renal masses were classified according to the PADUA, SPARE and R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry scores. Surgical success was defined according to the novel Trifecta score. Logistic regression models (LRM) were fitted to predict the achievement of novel Trifecta and the risk of high-grade Clavien-Dindo (CD) complication. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was used to estimate the accuracy of LRMs.Of 93 patients, 66 (69.9%) were females; median tumor size was 42 (36-48) mm. Novel Trifecta was achieved in 79 patients (84.9%) and post-operative complications classified as CD2 occurred in 7 (7.5%) patients. At univariate and multivariate LRMs all three nephrometry scores were significantly associated with novel Trifecta achievement. Similar findings were observed for the prediction of CD2 complications. The AUCs to predict optimal surgical outcomes and CD2 complications were 0.791 and 0.912 for PADUA, 0.767 and 0.836 for SPARE and 0.756 and 0.842 for RENAL score, respectively.RAPN appears to be a feasible and safe surgical technique for the treatment of RAML. PADUA, SPARE and RENAL scores can be safely adopted to predict surgical outcomes, with the first one showing a higher accuracy.

Introduction For the treatment of patients with end-stage renal disease, kidney transplantation is preferred to renal replacement modalities such as hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Although open surgery remains the gold standard, minimally invasive approaches have recently been applied in transplant kidney surgery. Despite growing enthusiasm and potential benefits of robotic kidney transplant, many aspects of this novel technique remain controversial. Aim of this study was to analyze the current status and future developments in robotic-assisted surgery for kidney transplantation. Evidence acquisition A systematic PubMed search for peer-reviewed studies was performed using keywords such as "Minimally invasive surgery" or "Robotic" or "Robot assisted" AND "Kidney transplantation". Eligible articles were reviewed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) criteria. Evidence synthesis Eleven studies evaluated reported the feasibility, safety, and reproducibility of robotic kidney transplantation using either a transperitoneal or an extraperitoneal approach. The graft kidney is usually introduced via a periumbilical or Gibson incision. The functional outcomes of the robotic approach are equivalent to those of open kidney transplantation in terms of mean serum creatinine at 6 month and delayed graft function. The benefits of robotic kidney transplantation include easier vascular anastomosis, better cosmetic results, and a lower complication rate, including in the obese population. Many concerns remain over the potential impairment of graft function due to pneumoperitoneum and warm ischemia and the technical difficulties related to the vascular anastomosis. Refinement of the robotic tactile feedback and development of a cold ischemia device may lead to further improvement in this novel technique. Conclusions Robotic surgery allows kidney transplantation to be performed under optimal operative conditions, reducing complications while maintaining the functional results achieved by the open approach. The evolution of this technique is in progress.