Transperitoneal robotic resection of benign primary retroperitoneal tumors: can it be widely used?

Background: This article was aimed to show the safety, flexibility and other advantages of transperitoneal robot-assisted resection of benign primary retroperitoneal tumors.
Methods: Ten patients underwent robotic surgeries, and 31 underwent laparotomy surgeries from 2012 to 2014. The perioperative data, including tumor size, operation time, and other parameters were analyzed.
Results: The tumor sizes of the two groups were not different (robotic group vs laparotomy group: 5.47 vs 5.32 cm, respectively; P = 0.777). The differences in the blood loss (robotic group vs laparotomy group: 80.00 vs. 146.08 mL, respectively; P = 0.021), time of oral intake (robotic group vs laparotomy group: 2.12 vs. 3.42 d, respectively; P = 0.045) and post-operation hospital stay (robotic group vs laparotomy group: 5.40 vs. 8.77 d, respectively; P = 0.004) were statistically significant and lower in the robotic group.
Conclusion: Robot-assisted resection of benign retroperitoneal tumors is flexible and safe and provides better protection when complex lesions are removed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
(Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)