Robotic vs conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Editor's Note

Robotic cholecystectomy was associated with greater operative times but with similar safety and outcomes as conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy, in this study.

The analysis included 13 studies involving 1,589 cholecystectomy patients (921 laparoscopic, 668 robotic). Operative time for the robot-assisted procedure was 128.0 minutes vs 115.3 minutes for laparoscopic. Preoperative time was 53.4 minutes for robot-assisted and 32.4 minutes for laparoscopic. Intra- and postoperative complications, conversion rates, blood loss, length of hospital stay, and readmissions were similar for both groups.

For robotic cholecystectomy to gain acceptance, more studies are required to quantify equipment benefits to the surgeon and to evaluate the potential advantage of its use in the acute setting, the authors say.

Robotic cholecystectomy is a novel approach that offers the surgeon improved high-definition, 3-dimensional views and enhanced instrument ergonomics, which represent a technical development from previous operative platforms that include conventional and single-incision laparoscopy. This review compares its short-term outcomes with conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy by a meta-analysis.