Nomenclature of robotic procedures in urology

Purpose: To standardize nomenclature and acronyms applied to robotic procedures in urology. Materials and Methods: A review of the literature for robotic procedures in urology was performed. In addition, various acronyms were queried and frequency of use was noted. Additional literature reviewed included articles on standardization of scientific nomenclature used in other disciplines of health care. This topic was discussed within the newly formed working group of urologic robotic surgeons (WURS). Results: There is wide variation in the terminology and use of acronyms for robotic prostate and kidney procedures. The application of robotic, robot, robotic laparoscopic, robot laparoscopic, robotic-assisted, robot-assisted, robotic assisted, robot assisted, robotic-assisted laparoscopic, robot-assisted laparoscopic, robotic assisted laparoscopic, robot assisted laparoscopic, and robotic computer-assisted to procedures such as pyeloplasty and radical prostatectomy is far from uniform or standardized. Queries and searches using acronyms such as RALP, RARP, RRP, and RP yielded publications discussing both prostate and renal procedures applying the same acronyms. There are established databases of abbreviations and acronyms, including ARGH, SaRad, Acromed, and the Stanford Biomedical Abbreviation Server. Conclusion: Standardization of the nomenclature applied to urologic robotic surgery is needed as the robotic literature continues to grow. The recommendation from the Scientific Committee of the Working Group of Urologic Robotic Surgeons is to apply "robot assisted" to the already established nomenclature currently used to describe equivalent open procedures. The use of standardized and uniform terminology for procedures performed with robots will facilitate literature search and research efforts in the future. The role of standardized nomenclature for billing purposes remains to be seen.