A Review on Minimally Invasive Right Colectomy from Conventional Laparoscopic Resection to Robotic-Assisted Surgery

Robotic-assisted abdominal surgery was introduced with the aim to overcome the drawbacks of the conventional laparoscopic approach. The present narrative review focuses on the comparison between laparoscopic and robotic-assisted approaches for right colectomy (RC) on the short and long-term outcomes, costs, and learning curve. Main technical aspects related with the use of robotic assistance for this specific procedure are further discussed. The introduction of the latest generation optics (3D, 4K) and more ergonomic tools can be considered a bridge towards technical facilitation. Minimally invasive RC is considered technically challenging due to the particularities of the right and middle colic vascular anatomy. Robotic RC has not yet widespread due to the high costs and operating times. However, its use may result in advantages regarding the short term clinical outcomes and facilitates the acquisition of basic surgical skills, speeding up the learning curve of minimally-invasive colorectal surgery.