[First experience with the laparoscopic radical cystectomy].

In muscle-invasive bladder cancer, radical cystectomy is the treatment of choice. Pioneers of laparoscopy have tried to remove the bladder in the early 90s. In the year 2000 Gill et al. managed to remove the bladder and reconstruct the urinary diversion completely laparoscopically for the first time. Since the implementation of the technique of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy in many American and European institutes, the development of technical instruments for laparoscopy is a milestone. With these instruments and with the knowledge of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, the step to perform a laparoscopic radical cystectomy is not very far.