Surgical case volume in Canadian urology residency: a comparison of trends in open and minimally invasive surgical experience

Abstract

Background and purpose: The application of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has become increasingly common in urology training programs and clinical practice. Our objective was to review surgical case data from all 12 Canadian residency programs to identify trends in resident exposure to MIS and open procedures.

Materials and methods: Every year, beginning in 2003, an average of 41 postgraduate year 3 to 5 residents reported surgical case data to a secure internet relational database. Data were anonymized and extracted for the period 2003 to 2009 by measuring a set of 11 predefined index cases that could be performed in both an open and MIS fashion.

Results: 16,687 index cases were recorded by a total of 198 residents. As a proportion, there was a significant increase in MIS from 12% in 2003 to 2004 to 32% in 2008 to 2009 (P=0.01). A significant decrease in the proportion of index cases performed with an open approach was also observed from 88% in 2003 to 2004 to 68% in 2008 to 2009 (P=0.01). The majority of these shifts were secondary to the increased application of MIS for nephrectomies of all type (29%-45%), nephroureterectomy (27%-76%), adrenalectomy (15%-71%), and pyeloplasty (17%-54%) (P<0.0001 for all). While there was a significant increase in MIS experience with radical prostatectomy (2%-18%, P<0.0001), the majority of these were still taught in an open fashion during the study period.

Conclusion: MIS constitutes an increasingly significant component of surgical volume in Canadian urology residencies with a reciprocal decrease in exposure to open surgery. These trends necessitate ongoing evaluation to maintain the integrity of postgraduate urologic training.