An alternative to conventional laparoscopy when looking for virtually scarless surgery is mini-laparoscopy, a reproducible technique that preserves the triangulation concept. A drawback of this approach is the poor image quality provided by mini-scopes. The introduction of the SPIEs technology, a novel endoscopic camera allowing for better visualisation of anatomic details even with 3-mm optics, has boosted the use of a mini-laparoscopic approach in our centre for laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) to treat low-complexity renal masses. Allowing for inclusion criteria, 10 consecutive patients who satisfied inclusion criteria were enrolled in our prospective study undergoing clampless mini-retroperitoneoscopic LPN performed by a single surgeon with laparoscopic expertise. Preliminary data show that the approach seems to be safe and effective, with comparable outcomes to conventional LPN. Larger sample size and comparative studies are needed to confirm these findings. The evaluation of cosmetic results will be the focus of further studies.
Keywords: Clampless; Mini-laparoscopy; Partial nephrectomy; Renal tumour; Retroperitoneoscopy; SPIEs; Small renal masses; Zero ischemia.
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