The ‘‘gold standard’’ treatment for surgical management of small kidney cancers has shifted from radical nephrectomy (i.e. total nephrectomy) to robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN). RPN is designed to provide minimally invasive nephron sparing surgery and is technically feasible with the Da Vinci robotic platform. Wristed instrumentation and three-dimensional vision facilitate excellent ergonomics for resection and renorrhaphy; decreased warm ischemia time while preserving oncologic outcomes.

Robotic kidney surgery was introduced to Beaumont in 2020 and approximately 125 robotic kidney cases have been performed to date. Most of these cases are robotic partial nephrectomy for kidney cancer. Given its comparable oncologic outcomes to open surgery and improved patient safety; robotic assisted partial nephrectomy is an exciting innovation that will benefit kidney cancer patients attending Beaumont Hospital for the foreseeable future.