ObjectiveTo systematically review the clinical utilization of robotic bronchoscopes in diagnosis of pulmonary nodules, including MonarchTM and IonTM platforms, and then evaluate the efficacy and safety of the procedure. MethodsPubMed, EMbase, Web of Science and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched by computer for literature about the biopsy of pulmonary nodules with robotic bronchoscope from January 2018 to February 14, 2022. The quality of research was evaluated with Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. RevMan 5.4 software was used to conduct the meta-analysis. ResultsFinally, 19 clinical studies with 1 542 patients and 1 697 targeted pulmonary nodules were included, of which 13 studies used the IonTM platform and 6 studies used the MonarchTM platform. The overall diagnostic rate of the two systems was 84.96% (95%CI 62.00%-95.00%), sensitivity for malignancy was 81.79% (95%CI 43.00%-96.00%), the mean maximum diameter of the nodules was 16.22 mm (95%CI 10.98-21.47), the mean procedure time was 61.86 min (95%CI 46.18-77.54) and the rate of complications occurred was 4.76% (95%CI 2.00%-15.00%). There was no statistical difference in the outcomes between the two systems. Conclusion Robotic bronchoscope provides a high efficacy and safety in biopsy of pulmonary nodules, and has a broad application prospect for pulmonary nodules diagnosis.
ObjectiveTo summarize the clinical experience of 58 operations for biliary malignant tumor with da Vinci surgical system. MethodsFrom January 2009 to October 2010, 180 patients with hepatopancreaticobiliary and gastrointestinal disease underwent robotic surgeries by using da Vinci surgical system, including 58 patients with biliary malignant tumor. The case distribution, intra and postoperative data were analyzed. ResultsOf 58 patients, 3 patients with intrahepatic bile duct cystadenocarcinoma received wedge resections of liver. In 36 patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma, anatomical left hemihepatectomies were performed in 3 cases, resection of extrahepatic duct and gallbladder bridge type biliary revascularization in 3 cases, resection of extrahepatic duct and biliary-enteric Roux-en-Y anastomosis in 14 cases, tumor resection and revascularization of hepatic portal bile duct in 1 case, palliative external drainage of intrahepatic bile duct in 5 cases, and Y-internal drainage of hepatic portal in 10 cases. In 10 patients with gallbladder carcinoma, resection of extrahepatic duct and gallbladder and biliaryenteric Roux-en-Y anastomosis in 2 cases, cholecystectmy in 3 cases, cholecystectmy and external drainage of intrahepatic bile duct in 1 case, cholecystectmy and Y-internal drainage by suspension of hepatic portal in 4 cases. A patient with middle bile duct cancer received radical resection of cholangiocarcinoma and biliary-enteric Roux-en-Y anastomosis. Of 8 patients with distal bile duct cancer, Whipple procedure were performed. Of 58 patients, 2 cases converted to hand-assistant procedure (3.4%). For all patients, operation time was (6.18±1.71) h, blood loss was (116.66±56.06) ml, blood transfusion was (85.55±38.28) ml, ambulation time was (9.10±2.91) h, feeding time was (14.95±4.35) h, and hospital stay was (12.81±4.29) d. Postoperative complications occurred in 8 cases (13.8%), including bile leakage (3 cases), wound bleeding (1 case), pancreatoenteric anastomotic leakage (2 cases), pulmonary infection (1 case), and renal failure (1 case). Of these 8 cases, 6 cases recovered smoothly and 2 cases die of severe pulmonary infection and renal failure after conservative treatment (3 or 4 weeks), therefore, the mortality of patients was 3.4%. In 36 patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma, 19 cases died (on 2 monthes 4 cases, on 6 monthes 5 cases, on 10 monthes 8 cases, and on 12 monthes 2 cases after operation), 11 cases survival well (gt;26 monthes 4 cases, gt;22 monthes 3 cases, and gt;19 monthes 4 cases), and 6 cases required hospitalization. Of 10 patients with gallbladder carcinoma, 7 cases died (on 3 monthes 1 case, on 5 monthes 1 case, on 8 monthes 1 case, on 11 monthes 3 cases, and on 12 monthes 1 case after operation) and 3 cases survival (gt;17 monthes 2 cases, gt;13 monthes 1 case). In 8 cases undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy, 5 cases died (on 4 monthes 2 cases, on 6 monthes 2 cases, and 10 monthes 1 case after operation) and 3 cases survived well over 2 years. Three patients with intrahepatic bile duct cystadenocarcinoma survived over 1 year. Conclusionsda Vinci surgical system can carry out all kinds of surgery for biliary malignant tumor, especially prominent in the complicated surgeries for hepatic portal, which breaks through the restricted area of laparoscope in hepatobiliary malignant tumor.
Minimally invasive cardiac surgeries are the trend in the future. Among them, robotic cardiac surgery is the latest iteration with several key-hole incision, 3-dimentional visualization, and articulated instrumentation of 7 degree of ergonomic freedom for those complex procedures in the heart. In particular, robotic mitral valve surgery, as well as coronary artery bypass grafting, has evolved over the last decade and become the preferred method at certain specialized centers worldwide because of excellent results. Other cardiac procedures are in various stages of evolution. Stepwise innovation of robotic technology will continue to make robotic operations simpler, more efficient, and less invasive, which will encourage more surgeons to take up this technology and extend the benefits of robotic surgery to a larger patient population.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the postoperative complications between robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) and laparoscopic-assisted surgery (LAS) in children with hirschsprung's disease (HSCR). MethodsThe PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and WanFang Data databases were electronically searched to collect non-randomized controlled studies related to the objective from inception to May 10, 2025. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed by using RevMan 5.4 software. ResultsA total of 7 studies involving 901 children were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that the RAS group had a lower incidence of postoperative enterocolitis than the LAS group (OR=0.64, 95%CI 0.42 to 0.98, P=0.04) and a higher rate of complication-free outcomes (OR=2.16, 95%CI 1.26 to 3.72, P<0.01). No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in intraoperative duration, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative anastomotic complications, fecal soiling, adhesive intestinal obstruction, wound infection, incisional hernia, perianal infection, or urinary retention (P>0.05). ConclusionCurrent evidence shows that RAS significantly reduces the risk of postoperative enterocolitis and improves the rate of complication-free outcomes in children with HSCR but offers no advantages in intraoperative indicators or other complications. Due to the limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more high quality studies are needed to verify the above conclusion.
ObjectiveTo compare oncologic and short-term outcomes between the robotic and laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study using a prospectively collected database. Patients’ records were obtained from Gansu Provincial Hospital between July 2015 and October 2017. Eighty patients underwent robotic-assisted total mesorectal excision (R-TME group) and one hundred and sixteen with the same histopathological stage of the tumor underwent an laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (L-TME group). Both operations were performed by the same surgeon. Results The time to the first passage of flatus ［(3.28±1.64) d vs. (6.01±2.77) d, P<0.001］, the time to the first postoperative oral fluid intake ［(4.46±1.62) d vs. (6.28±2.74) d, P<0.001） and the length of hospital stay ［（11.20±5.80）d vs. (14.72±6.90) d, P=0.023］ of the R-TME group was about 3 days faster than the L-TME group. The incidence of postoperative urinary retention (2.50% vs 7.76%, P=0.016) was significantly lower in the R-TME group than the L-TME group. However, the intraoperative blood loss of the R-TME group was more than the L-TME group ［(175.06±110.77) mL vs. (123.91±99.61) mL, P=0.031, ）. The operative time, number of lymph nodes harvested and distal margin were similar intergroup（P>0.05）. The total cost was higher in the R-TME than in the L-TME group ［(85 623.91±13 310.50) CNY vs. (67 356.79±17 107.68) CNY, P=0.084), however, this difference was statistically insignificant. ConclusionsCompared with the L-TME, the R-TME has the same oncologic outcomes and rapid postoperative short-term recovery. However, the long-term outcome of the R-TME remains to be further observed.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of robotic intersphincteric resection (ISR) for rectal cancer.MethodsA literature search was performed using the China biomedical literature database, Chinese CNKI, Wanfang, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library. The retrieval time was from the establishment of databases to April 1, 2019. Related interest indicators were brought into meta-analysis by Review Manager 5.2 software.ResultsA total of 510 patients were included in 5 studies, including 273 patients in the robot group and 237 patients in the laparoscopic group. As compared to the laparoscopic group, the robot group had significantly longer operative time [MD=43.27, 95%CI (16.48, 70.07), P=0.002], less blood loss [MD=–19.98.27, 95%CI (–33.14, –6.81), P=0.003], lower conversion rate [MD=0.20, 95%CI (0.04, –0.95), P=0.04], less lymph node harvest [MD=–1.71, 95%CI (–3.21, –0.21), P=0.03] and shorter hospital stay [MD=–1.61, 95%CI (–2.26, –0.97), P<0.000 01]. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the first flatus [MD=–0.01, 95%CI (–0.48, 0.46), P=0.96], time to diet [MD=–0.20, 95%CI (–0.67, 0.27), P=0.41], incidence of complications [OR=0.76, 95%CI (0.50, 1.14), P=0.18], distal resection margin [MD=0.00, 95%CI (–0.17, 0.17), P=0.98] and positive rate of circumferential resection margin [OR=0.61, 95%CI (0.27, 1.37), P=0.23].ConclusionsRobotic and laparoscopic ISR for rectal cancer shows comparable perioperative outcomes. Compared with laparoscopic ISR, robotic ISR has the advantages of less blood loss, lower conversion rate, and longer operation times. These findings suggest that robotic ISR is a safe and effective technique for treating low rectal cancer.
ObjectiveTo explore the method of preventing heat steam induced skin damage in robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction (R-NSM-IBR) using Da Vinci Robots. Methods A clinical data of 128 female patients with breast cancer, who were treated with R-NSM-IBR between September 2022 and December 2023 and met the selection criteria, was retrospectively analyzed. During robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy, the breasts were covered with gauze cooled by ice water to reduce skin temperature in 99 cases (group A) and were not treated in 29 cases (group B). There was no significant difference in the age, affected side, body mass index, pathological type of breast cancer, and constituent ratios of adjuvant chemotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy between the two groups (P>0.05). Intraoperative breast skin temperature, unilateral robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy time, and the incidence of complications of breast heat steam induced skin damage were recorded. Results The time for unilateral robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy was (77.18±9.23) minutes in group A and (76.38±12.88) minutes in group B, with significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). The intraoperative breast skin temperature was significantly lower in group A than in group B [(25.61±0.91)℃ vs (33.38±1.14)℃; P<0.05]. Seven cases of heat steam skin damage occurred during operation, including 2 cases (2.0%) in group A and 5 cases (17.2%) in group B, with a significant difference in incidence between the two groups (P<0.05). Among them, 1 patient in group B had a vesication rupture and infection, which eventually led to the removal of the implant; the rest of the patients were treated with postoperative interventions for skin recovery. Conclusion The use of breast covered with gauze cooled by ice water during R-NSM-IBR can effectively reduce the risk of heat steam induced skin damage.
Objective To systematically review the efficacy of robotic, laparoscopic-assisted, and open total mesorectal excision (TME) for the treatment of rectal cancer. Methods The PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were electronically searched to identify cohort studies on robotic, laparoscopic-assisted, and open TME for rectal cancer published from January 2016 to January 2022. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and evaluated the risk of bias of the included studies. Subsequently, network meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software and R software. Results A total of 24 studies involving 12 348 patients were included. The results indicated that among the three types of surgical procedures, robotic TME showed the best outcomes by shortening the length of hospital stay, reducing the incidence of postoperative anastomotic fistula and intestinal obstruction, and lowering the overall postoperative complication rate. However, differences in the number of dissected peritumoural lymph nodes were not statistically significant. Conclusion Robotic TME shows better outcomes in terms of the radicality of excision and postoperative short-term outcomes in the treatment of rectal cancer. However, clinicians should consider the patients’ actual condition for the selection of surgical methods to achieve individualised treatment for patients with rectal cancer.
The robotic bronchoscopy system is a new technology for lung lesion location, biopsy and interventional therapy. Its safety and effectiveness have been clinically proven. Based on many advanced technologies carried by the robotic bronchoscopy system, it is more intelligent, convenient and stable when clinicians perform bronchoscopy operations. It has higher accuracy and diagnostic rates, and less complications than bronchoscopy with the assistance of magnetic navigation and ordinary bronchoscopy. This article gave a review of the progress of robotic bronchoscopy systems, and a prospect of the combination with artificial intelligence.
Objective To compare the perioperative outcomes of atypical segmentectomy between robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) and conventional video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MethodsThe data of patients who underwent minimally invasive anatomic atypical segmentectomy in our hospital from October 2016 to December 2021 were collected. These patients were divided into a RATS group and a VATS group according to the operation method. Propensity score (PS) matching was used to select patients with close clinical baseline characteristics, and the perioperative results of the two groups were compared. ResultsA total of 1 048 patients were enrolled, including 320 males and 728 females, with a mean age of 53.51±11.13 years. There were 277 patients in the RATS group and 771 patients in the VATS group. After 1∶1 PS matching, 277 pairs were selected. Both groups were well balanced for age, sex, smoking history, body mass index, Charlson comorbidity index, pulmonary function, tumor size, tumor location, and histological type. All patients were R0 resection, and there were no deaths within 30 days after surgery. The RATS group had shorter operative time [85 (75, 105) min vs. 115 (95, 140) min, P<0.001] and less blood loss [50 (30, 100) mL vs. 60 (50, 100) mL, P=0.001]. There were no statistical differences between the two groups in lymph node resection, conversion to thoracotomy, thoracic drainage time, total amount of thoracic drainage or postoperative complications (P>0.05). ConclusionBoth RATS and VATS atypical segmentectomies are safe and feasible for early-stage NSCLC. RATS can effectively shorten the operative time, and reduce blood loss.