BJU international
August 7, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Learning curve of Versius-assisted radical prostatectomy: role of prior experience and proctoring.
Fernández-Conejo G, González Álvarez C, Del Olmo Durán P, +8 more, Burgos Revilla FJ.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
Surgeons reached proficiency in Versius-assisted radical prostatectomy in under 40 cases, faster with prior robotic experience and structured proctoring.
What was studied
Prospective cohort of 151 patients with localized prostate cancer operated by four surgeons, two with extensive Da Vinci experience and two with laparoscopic background, using LC-CUSUM and hand motion volumetry.
Key findings
- Proficiency was reached after 23 cases (experienced) and 37 cases (new to robotics).
- Operative time and hand motion metrics improved with experience.
- Positive margin rate was 27.8% and major complications (Clavien-Dindo III or higher) were 2.6%.
Clinical relevance
Informs training and credentialing when adopting a new robotic platform.
Who should care
Limitations
Only four surgeons at probably one setting, so learning curves may not generalize.
Use proctoring and objective motion metrics when introducing the platform.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Objective
To assess the learning curve for radical prostatectomy (RP) with the Versius system (CMR Surgical, Cambridge, UK) and evaluate the transfer of skills from previous robotic and laparoscopic practice.
Subjects, patients and methods
This prospective cohort study included patients with localised prostate cancer undergoing Versius-assisted RP. Four surgeons participated: two with extensive prior robotic experience (>500 Da Vinci Surgical System [Intuitive Surgical Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA] RPs) and two with laparoscopic but no robotic background, operating under structured proctoring. Outcomes included objective measures such as console time or novel hand motion volumetry. Proficiency was defined by Learning Curve Cumulative Sum (LC-CUSUM) analysis with thresholds of console time <165/180 min (without/with lymphadenectomy) and absence of significant positive surgical margins.
Results
A total of 151 consecutive patients were included. Pre- and postoperative characteristics were comparable across surgeons. There were clinically and statistically significant improvements in operative time and hand motion metrics with increasing experience. Proficiency was achieved after 23 cases by experienced surgeons and after 37 by novel surgeons. The overall positive margin rate was 27.8%, with only two cases exceeding the ≥3 mm threshold in nerve-sparing procedures. Major complications (Clavien-Dindo Grade ≥III) only occurred in four (2.6%) patients.
Conclusion
Surgical proficiency in Versius-assisted RP was achieved in <40 cases, particularly among surgeons with prior robotic experience. Structured proctoring shortened the learning curve, and hand motion volumetry emerged as an objective marker of skill, supporting its use in training and competency assessment.
DOI
10.1111/bju.70405
PMID
42567715
PMCID
PMC13655204
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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