Your new experience awaits. Try the new design now and help us make it even better

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Oncol.

Sec. Genitourinary Oncology

This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancements in Robotic Surgery for Urologic Cancer TreatmentView all 4 articles

Application of Holographic Imaging Combined with Real-Time Ultrasound-Guided Robot-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy in the Treatment of Completely Endophytic Renal tumours: A Retrospective Cohort Study Comparing with Pure Laparoscopic Surgery

Provisionally accepted
Tongbin  GaoTongbin Gao1Feihu  TangFeihu Tang2*Yuan  GaoYuan Gao1Dawei  WangDawei Wang1Yongchun  YuYongchun Yu1Zhentao  ZhangZhentao Zhang2
  • 1Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, China
  • 2Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background: To compare the perioperative outcomes and renal function preservation between holographic imaging combined with real-time ultrasound-guided robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) using the Da Vinci system and conventional laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) for completely endophytic renal tumours, and to explore the clinical advantages of novel imaging technologies. Methods: A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted, including 61 patients with completely endophytic renal tumours treated at Weifang People's Hospital from January 2022 to January 2025. All patients underwent holographic imaging and intraoperative ultrasound. They were divided into the RAPN group (n=31) and the LPN group (n=30), with balanced baseline characteristics (all P>0.05), Crucially, all patients in both groups underwent preoperative holographic imaging and intraoperative ultrasound. Primary outcomes included warm ischemia time (WIT), intraoperative blood loss, operative time, and postoperative estimatedglomerular filtration rate (eGFR) changes. Secondary outcomes comprised positive surgical margin rates, complications, and oncologic outcomes. Results: Perioperative outcomes: WIT was reduced by 20% in the RAPN group (20 [IQR 20-25] vs. 25 [20-30] min, P=0.037). Intraoperative blood loss distribution differed significantly (50 [20-50] vs. 50 [50-50] ml, P=0.028), with 25% of RAPN cases achieving blood loss ≤20 ml (minimum in LPN: 50 ml). No statistical differences were observed in operative time (145 [126-193] vs. 133 [115-163] min) or hospital stay (7 [6-7] vs. 7 [5-7] days, both P>0.05). Complication rates were similar (9.7% vs. 6.7%, P=1.000). Renal function preservation: Postoperative eGFR on day 1 (84.67±22.25 vs. 87.26±19.92 ml/min, P=0.634) and at 3 months (92.17±30.42 vs. 95.21±22.91 ml/min, P=0.738) showed no significant differences. Oncologic safety: Both groups achieved 100% negative surgical margins, with a comparable distribution of malignant pathological subtypes and WHO/ISUP grades. No recurrence was detected during follow-up. Conclusion: The RAPN platform, when integrated with holographic imaging and real-time ultrasound guidance, demonstrates significant advantages in treating completely endophytic renal tumour. This integrated robotic approach offers a precise and minimally invasive solution for complex cases. Study limitations include its retrospective design, and a phase III RCT (N≥200) is recommended to validate long-term outcomes.

Keywords: Completely endophytic renal tumour, da Vinci robotic system, Holographic imaging technology, intraoperative ultrasound, minimally invasive surgery

Received: 23 Jul 2025; Accepted: 04 Nov 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Gao, Tang, Gao, Wang, Yu and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Feihu Tang, 15587341203@163.com

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.