Systematic review of current and future perspectives of robotic partial nephrectomy

Background

Nephron-sparing surgery has become a standard approach for localized renal masses because it preserves renal function while providing oncologic control comparable with radical nephrectomy. Robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) has expanded the minimally invasive management of increasingly complex renal tumors. This review summarizes contemporary clinical outcomes and emerging technologies in RAPN. Materials and Methods: A PRISMA-guided literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus for peer-reviewed English-language human studies published between January 2020 and June 2025. Search terms included robot-assisted partial nephrectomy, robotic partial nephrectomy, RAPN, nephron-sparing surgery, single-port robotics, augmented reality, three-dimensional surgical planning, fluorescence-guided nephrectomy, and learning curve. Manual reference screening was also performed. Twenty eligible studies were included for qualitative synthesis; quantitative meta-analysis was not performed because of heterogeneity in study designs and endpoints.