Robot-assisted surgery and pure laparoscopic surgery are available for minimally invasive radical prostatectomy (MIRP). The differences in anesthetic management between the two MIRPs under combined general and epidural anesthesia (CGEA) remain unknown. This study therefore aimed to determine the effects of robot-assisted surgery on anesthetic and perioperative management for MIRP under CGEA. A retrospective observational study was performed by obtaining data from the patients' electronic

more »

... records. Demographic data, intraoperative parameters, postoperative complications, and hospital stays after the MIRPs were compared between patients who underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) and those with pure laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP). There were no differences in the patients' background data between the 102 who underwent RALP and 112 who underwent LRP. Anesthesia and surgical times were shorter in the RALP group than in the LRP group. Consumption of anesthetics, including intravenous opioids, and epidural ropivacaine, was less in the RALP group. Although the estimated blood loss and volume of colloid infusion were lower in the RALP group, the volume of crystalloid infusion was larger. Intraoperative allogeneic transfusion was not required in either group. There were no differences in incidents of postoperative cardiopulmonary complications or postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in either MIRP group. Hospital stays after the procedure were shorter in the RALP group. Robot-assisted surgery required varied consumption of anesthetics and infusion management during MIRP under GCEA. It also shortened the postoperative hospital stay without increasing the rates of postoperative complications.