Koon Ho Rha, MD, PhD, presented “Retzius-Sparing Radical Prostatectomy: Tips and Tricks” for the Grand Rounds in Urology audience in January 2021.
How to cite: Rha, Koon Ho. “Retzius-Sparing Radical Prostatectomy: Tips and Tricks” January 2021. Accessed Jul 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/retzius-sparing-radical-prostatectomy-tips-and-tricks/
Retzius-Sparing Radical Prostatectomy: Tips and Tricks – Summary
Peter K.F. Chiu, MD, PhD, FRCSEd, Associate Consultant and Honorary Clinical Assistant Professor at the Prince of Wales Hospital at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, interviews Koon Ho Rha, MD, PhD, Professor of Urology and Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery at Yonsei University Medical School, on Retzius-sparing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RS-RALP), a technique intended to preserve continence in patients who must undergo radical prostatectomy. Dr. Rha explains that incontinence is one of the biggest concerns about radical prostatectomy the patients he treats have, and RS-RALP appears to have better outcomes in this area than standard RALP since it preserves more key structures. He goes over the history of the technique and then discusses its pros and cons, highlighting the potentially excellent early preservation of continence and potency but also the difficulty of the procedure, especially in patients with large prostates. Dr. Rha then shows and discusses a video of an RS-RALP procedure. He concludes that RS-RALP is a valuable additional technique in the contemporary robotic surgical armamentarium that may especially benefit patients over 70.
For more educational content from our Asian Series, don’t miss The Unique Experience of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma in Taiwan with Dr. Hsiang Ying Lee.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Koon Ho Rha is a Professor of Urology and Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery at Yonsei University Medical School. He graduated from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, and received training at the Mayo Clinic. He also underwent fellowship training in minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgery at Johns Hopkins Medical as an Engineering and Urology endowed fellow. He subsequently served as a visiting Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Rha also co-invented a novel surgical procedure, “Video-Assisted Minilaparotomy Surgery (VAMS),” which is now commercially available through Thompson Surgical.
Over the last 15 years, Dr. Rha has become one of the top robotic surgeons in Asia, performing more than 3500 robotic surgeries, including 3000 robotic prostatectomies. He has given more than 550 lectures on robotic surgery and has performed live surgery or proctored on more than 60 occasions in 15 countries.
He has served as the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, Chief Operating Officer, and the Chief Strategy Officer at Yonsei University Health System, and is currently the President of the Korean Endourological Society.
