ROBOTIC SURGERY VS. LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY IN RIGHT COLECTOMY: A COMPARATIVE CASE ANALYSIS IN AN INSTITUTION

Introduction Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancer types. With advancements in surgical techniques, right colectomy can be performed using laparoscopic or robotic approaches. Both methods offer specific benefits, but the choice of the ideal technique remains debated. This study retrospectively compares clinical outcomes, including operative time, hospital stay duration, and patient quality of life, in right colectomy performed using both techniques.

Objective To conduct a comparative analysis of right colectomy performed via robotic and laparoscopic approaches, evaluating clinical outcomes such as lymph nodes resected, hospital stay duration, and postoperative bowel function recovery time, aiming to identify significant differences between the techniques.

Results Twenty surgical procedures were analyzed, including 10 laparoscopic and 10 robotic surgeries. The average patient age was 63.1 years, with a balanced gender distribution between the two groups. Most tumors were located in the ascending colon (9 cases), followed by the hepatic flexure (3 cases) and the cecum (8 cases). The average number of resected lymph nodes was similar between the approaches, with 19 nodes for the laparoscopic method (standard deviation of 11) and 20 for the robotic method (standard deviation of 8). The average hospital stay duration was six days for the laparoscopic approach (standard deviation of 4) and five days for the robotic approach (standard deviation of 1). The greater variability in the laparoscopic procedure was attributed to one case with postoperative complications. The average time to the resumption of bowel function was 3.5 days for laparoscopy (standard deviation of 1.5) and three days for robotics (standard deviation of 1). Regarding operative time, the robotic approach demonstrated longer surgery durations.

Conclusion The results indicate that both surgical techniques are equivalent in terms of clinical efficacy. The choice between robotic and laparoscopic surgery should consider factors such as the surgeon's experience, resource availability, and patient preferences. While robotic surgery offers technological advantages, including enhanced precision, integrated 3D visualization, and improved dexterity, its high cost may limit its adoption. Therefore, it can be concluded that there are no significant differences in direct clinical benefits between the laparoscopic and robotic techniques for right colectomy.

 

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No conflict of interest has been declared by the author(s).

Publication History

Article published online:
25 April 2025