Reply from Authors re: Jens. J. Rassweiler, Marcel Fiedler-Hruza. The Learning Curve for Robot-assisted Partial Nephrectomy: There is Much Beyond a Trifecta. Eur Urol. In press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2018.10.022 (European Urology)

We read with great interest the editorial comment [1] on our analysis [2] of the surgical learning curve for robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN). The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of the learning process on surgical performance and, consequently, on clinical outcomes for patients treated with RAPN. This specific need drove the choice of the study outcomes. Ischemia time should no longer be regarded as a hard clinical outcome, given its negligible impact on long-term renal function relative to other factors [3-5].