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Checcucci et al. Mini-invasive Surg 2021;5:49 Mini-invasive Surgery
DOI: 10.20517/2574-1225.2021.98

Editorial Open Access

The future of robotic radical prostatectomy driven by

artificial intelligence

Enrico Checcucci 1,2,3 , Francesco Porpiglia 3
1
Department of Surgery, Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo 10060, Turin, Italy.
2
Uro-technology and SoMe Working Group of the Young Academic Urologists (YAU) Working Party of the European
Association of Urology (EAU), Arnhem 6803, The Netherlands.
3
Department of Oncology, Division of Urology, University of Turin, Orbassano, Torino 10043, Italy.
Correspondence to: Enrico Checcucci, MD, Department of Surgery, Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Strada Provinciale
142, km 3.95, Candiolo 10060, Turin, Italy. E-mail: checcu.e@hotmail.it
How to cite this article: Checcucci E, Porpiglia F. The future of robotic radical prostatectomy driven by artificial intelligence. Mini-
invasive Surg 2021;5:49. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2574-1225.2021.98

Received: 24 Aug 2021 Accepted: 1 Sep 2021 Published: 15 Oct 2021
Academic Editor: Richard Lawrence John Naspro Copy Editor: Yue-Yue Zhang Production Editor: Yue-Yue Zhang

Since we have entered the precision prostate cancer surgery era , the robotic approach currently represents
[1]
the preferred choice of the patients . Focusing on robot assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), several
[2]
[6]
[3-5]
technical and technological innovations have been introduced with the aim to maximize both
functional and oncological outcomes.
[8]
[8,9]
[7]
The advent of three-dimensional (3D) technology meets both patients’ and surgeons’ preferences ,
allowing visualization of the anatomy three-dimensionally and enhancing the perception of the disease’s
location and characteristics, such as its relationship with the prostate capsule.
A step further in this direction is represented by the possibility to overlap the 3D virtual images with the real
anatomy during in vivo robotic procedure, performing augmented reality procedures [10,11] . As reported in
our previous experiences, 3D prostatic models can be obtained from 2D-MRI images and consequently used
during RARP, allowing the surgeon to focus on the tumor’s characteristics, with particular attention to the
potential presence of extracapsular extension. Thanks to specifically developed software, virtual models can
be displayed on the da Vinci surgical console (Intuitive Surgical Inc.) and automatically anchored to the in
[12]
vivo live images during surgery .

© The Author(s) 2021. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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