Comparative study on da Vince robotic and laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the short-term clinical outcomes of laparoscopic and da Vince robotic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer and evaluate the safety and efficacy of robotic system.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinical data of 200 consecutive gastric cancer patients undergoing radical gastrectomy, including 100 cases of robotic (RRG group) and 100 cases of laparoscopic (LRG group), in our department from January 2012 to May 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Reconstruction of the alimentary tract was achieved using extracorporeal method through a minilaparotomy in LRG group, and intracorporeal robot-sewn anastomosis in RRG group. Comparative analysis between the two groups for intraoperative factors (conversion, blood loss, operative time, incision length), oncologic outcomes (TMN stage, lymph node dissection, margin) and postoperative parameters (ventilation time, hospital stay, complications, mortality) was performed.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>There was only 1 conversion in LRG group. As compared to LRG group, RRG group was associated with less blood loss[(60±16) vs. (98±17) ml, P=0.005], longer operative time [(215±46) vs. (188±52) min, P=0.001], shorter incision length [(4.2±1.7) vs. (8.9±2.6) cm, P=0.028], and shorter postoperative hospital stay [(4.5±2.6) vs. (5.7±3.1) d, P=0.018] in RRG group. While there were no significant differences in other aspects between the two groups, such as number of harvested lymph nodes, distance to upper or lower margin of tumor, postoperative bowel function recovery, and postoperative complication morbidity.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Robotic radical gastrectomy is feasible and safe for gastric cancer, and has better short-term and oncologic outcomes compared with laparoscopic radical gastrectomy.</p>

Application of surgical robotic system in patients with gastric cancer: a report of 120 cases / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of robotic gastrectomy for gastric cancer using da Vinci surgical system.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 120 patients who underwent robotic gastrectomy using da Vinci surgical system for gastric cancer from May 2010 to April 2012. Data regarding surgical and early oncological outcomes were systematically collected in a specific database for statistical analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were 74 males and 46 females, with a mean age of 58.5 (22-80) years old. The type of robotic operation included 62 distal subtotal gastrectomies, 35 total gastrectomies, and 23 proximal gastrectomies. Reconstruction of the alimentary tract was achieved using extracorporeal method through a minilaparotomy in 55 cases, and intracorporeal robot-sewn anastomosis in 65 cases. There was 1 conversion (0.9%). The operative time was (245±50) min and the docking time (17±5) min. The blood loss was (70±45) ml. The number of harvested lymph nodes was 22.5±10.7. The resection margins were negative in all surgical specimens. The postoperative pathological stage consisted of stage I B in 24 cases, stage II in 28, stage III A in 47, and stage III B in 21. Six patients (5%) developed postoperative complication including 1 case of duodenal stump leakage, 2 cases of esophagus-gastric leakage, 1 case of small bowel obstruction, 1 case of delayed gastric emptying, and 1 case of abdominal bleeding. All the complications were cured by reoperation or conservative therapy, and there were no postoperative 30-day deaths. The postoperative hospital stay was (6.3±2.6) days.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Robotic gastrectomy for the treatment of gastric cancer is a feasible and safe procedure, and is advantageous in terms of lymphadenectomy and alimentary tract reconstruction.</p>

Totally robotic surgery for rectal cancer with transanal specimen extraction and robot-sewn anastomosis technique / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To summarize the clinical experience of transanal specimen extraction and introduce how to achieve the rectum reconstruction in robotic rectal cancer surgery.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinical data of 15 cases undergoing rectal cancer resection with the da Vinci robotic system in Jinglin Hospital between February 2012 and May 2012 were analyzed retrospectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were 9 males and 6 females with a mean age of (61.5±9.2) years old. All the cases underwent robotic surgery successfully without intraoperative conversion. The average operative time was (154.7±10.6) min with minimal blood loss (17.3±6.5) ml. The time to first flatus was (2.3±0.8) days postoperatively. The postoperative hospital stay was (3.3±0.6) days. The mean number of lymph node harvested from the surgical specimen was (15.0±1.2). All the resection margins were negative. All the patients had postoperative follow-up ranging from 4 to 8 weeks. There were no postoperative infection, anastomotic leak, incision hernia, or short-term deaths.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>da Vinci robotic system greatly reduces the difficulty of the rectal cancer surgery with its unique light source system and flexible equipment operation.</p>