ABSTRACT
Laparoscopic lymph node dissection is a common surgical procedure. In most cases, this operation will be performed as a staging procedure in patients with prostate cancer, either during radical laparoscopic prostatectomy or prior to perineal prostatectomy, or as a staging procedure before the different forms of radiation therapy. For prostate cancer the indication for laparoscopic lymph node dissection has changed over recent years. Beside these experimental approaches for lymph node staging in prostate cancer, classical staging lymphadenectomy remains a standard tool in the staging of high-risk prostate cancer patients in particular. In obese patients it may be difficult to identify the external iliac artery. It is useful to keep anatomic landmarks in mind to avoid the preparation of the internal iliac artery. It is always helpful to identify the obturator nerve before transection of the distal end of the lymphatic tissue.
