Erectile function after laparoscopic versus robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

[OBJECTIVE] Prostate cancer is a common malignancy in men over 50 years old, and radical prostatectomy, particularly via laparoscopic and robotic-assisted techniques, significantly impacts quality of life, especially in terms of erectile dysfunction. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the preservation of erectile function following robotic-assisted and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, with a separate analysis of randomized clinical trials and non-randomized studies.

[METHODS] This review was carried out using randomized and non-randomized studies involving adult patients diagnosed with localized prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy, according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and registered in PROSPERO. Applicable literature from PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature database was analysed. The bias in randomized clinical trials was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool, and observational studies were evaluated via the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The statistical analysis was performed using Review Manager version 5.4.

[RESULTS] Our analysis included 13 studies involving 6281 patients. Comparative meta-analysis of non-randomized studies demonstrated that robotic techniques were significantly more effective in preserving erectile function at 3 months (risk difference [RD] 0.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.00-0.11; =0.040), 6 months (RD 0.10, 95% CI 0.03-0.17; =0.006), and 12 months postoperatively (RD 0.06, 95% CI 0.02-0.10; =0.002).

[CONCLUSION] Robotic-assisted surgery showed greater preservation of erectile function 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after radical prostatectomy. However, additional studies with meticulous methodological criteria are necessary for future analysis.