Search

Objective: To provide an overview of the meaning and types of virtual reality (VR) system, its current applications in the field of urology and future implications., Synthesis of the Evidence: The concept of VR involves the generation of computer environments with which a user can interact directly. Urology technologies and surgical practices are constantly evolving and RV simulation has become an important complement in urologist training curricula, taking into account not only simulations in surgical techniques, but also in non-surgical techniques such as communication and decision making. VR approaches for image-guided surgery have demonstrated potential in the field of urology by supporting guidance for various disorders. An increasing number of pre and intraoperative imaging modalities have been used to create detailed surgical route maps. The tracing of these surgical roadmaps with the surgical vision of real life has been produced in different ways (electromagnetic, acoustic, optical ...), recommending the combination of several approaches to provide a superior result. One of the disadvantages of navigation systems is soft tissue deformations, requiring confirmatory images. Although early studies report that navigation surgeries provide results equal to or greater than conventional approaches, most of the work has been done in relatively small groups of patients, thus requiring studies with larger sample sizes., Conclusions: The development of VR offers urologists many opportunities, with surgical simulation being one of its most important applications today. Likewise, the first clinical studies have demonstrated the potential of augmented reality (2D and 3D models) to improve surgical accuracy, describing different navigation systems for different urological surgical interventions.

Objective: To perform a literature review on the use of cavoscopy during surgery for renal cell carcinoma with vena cava thrombus (RCCVCT), according to the criteria of Evidence-Based Medicine., Material and Methods: We performed a Pubmed search for studies published with the following keywords: "renal tumor thrombus", "renal tumor cavoscopy" and "cystoscopy thrombus", without time limit and in English. With these criteria, 5 articles were identified with a total of 41 patients. All studies found are case series and expert opinions, so the degree of evidence in the use of cavoscopy in RCCVCT is low., Results: RCCVCT surgery is a complex technique, which can reach over 50% 5-year survival, when a complete oncological resection is achieved. One of the keys for surgical success is complete resection of tumor thrombus, having used different techniques for its verification. One of them is cavoscopy, which consists on the introduction of a flexible cystoscope through the cavotomy incision after thrombectomy, checking the lumen of the vena cava with saline serum irrigation. In two series of clinical cases, cavoscopy detected thrombus persistence in 22% and 43% of patients respectively, allowing resection. The entire resected thrombus showed malignancy in several cases., Conclusion: Cavoscopy is a technique that improves detection of tumor remnants after thrombectomy in comparison to indirect review methods. Although oncological impact of caval thrombus is controversial, the use of cavoscopy allows a more complete resection of the thrombus, and it may offer a possible increase in the recurrence-free survival of these patients.