To compare surgical and functional results of both surgical approaches to endoscopic partial nephrectomy. It is currently performed either by the transperitoneal (t) or the retroperitoneal (r) approach.

This was a retrospective, matched-pair comparison of 105 patients who underwent either transperitoneal laparoscopic (Graz) or retroperitoneoscopic (Klagenfurt) partial nephrectomy for clinical T1a renal masses.

A total of 35 patients after transperitoneal laparoscopic and 70 patients after retroperitoneoscopic partial nephrectomy were included to this analysis after matching for age (T: 59.3 vs R: 60.1 a), preoperative glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (T: 93.2 vs R: 96.1 mL/min) and tumor size (T: 2.4 vs R: 2.5 cm). Nephrometry scores were comparable between groups and were low, medium, and high in 54.3%, 45.7%, and 0% (t) and 55.7%, 42.9%, and 1.4% (r) of patients (P = .9). Operative time (T: 139.3 minutes vs. R: 83.9 minutes; P < .001) and hospitalization (T: 7 days, R: 5 days; P < .001) were shorter in the retroperitoneoscopic group. Ischemia time (T: 24.3 minutes, R: 22.6 minutes) and postsurgical GFR (T: 86.6 vs R: 90.0 mL/min), postsurgical GFR-decrease (T: 7.1%, R: 6.2%, P = .9) and decline of hemoglobin (T: 17.1%, R: 16.6%) were comparable. Complications were 4 nephrectomies (T: n = 1, R: n = 3), 2 revisions for hemorrhage (R: n = 2), 4 pneumothorax (R: n = 4), and 2 urinary fistulas (T: n = 2). The positive surgical margin rate was comparable between groups (T: n = 3, R: n = 5).

Transperitoneal laparoscopic and retroperitoneoscopic partial nephrectomy provide comparable surgical and functional results. One advantage of the retroperitoneoscopic access seems to be a shorter total surgical time.