The robotic surgery era and the role of laparoscopy training.

It has been suggested that the robotic surgery platform is an enabling technology that allows surgeons that are not trained in standard laparoscopy to perform minimally-invasive surgery. This raises the question of whether or not training in laparoscopy is necessary for current and future surgeons. The current status of laparoscopy in urology in the United States is reviewed along with a perspective regarding the potential future role of laparoscopic training as robotic surgery becomes increasingly applied to most major urologic procedures.