Clinical effects of robot-assisted esophageal hiatal hernia repair and laparoscopic esophageal hiatal hernia repair: a retrospective comparative study / 中华外科杂志

Objective: To analyze the short-term clinical effects of robot-assisted and laparoscopic repair of the hiatal hernia. Methods: The clinical data of 56 patients underwent minimally invasive hiatal hernia repair from January 2021 to January 2022 in the Department of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Hernias and Abdominal Wall Surgery, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region were retrospectively analyzed. There were 32 males and 24 females, aging (59.7±10.7) years (range: 28 to 75 years). All patients were divided into laparoscopy group (n=27) and robot group (n=29) according to surgical procedures. Perioperative conditions, hospital stay, and improvement in symptoms before and after surgery were compared between the two groups by the t test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test and χ2 test. Results: All surgical procedures were successfully completed, without conversion to laparotomy or change in operation mode. There were no serious complications related to the operation. The intraoperative blood loss of the robot group was less than that of the laparoscopic group (M (IQR)): (20 (110) ml vs. 40 (80) ml, Z=-4.098, P<0.01). The operation time ((111.7±33.6) minutes vs. (120.4±35.0) minutes, t=-0.943, P=0.350) and hospitalization time ((3.9±1.4) days vs. (4.7±1.9) days, t=-1.980, P=0.053) of the robot group and the laparoscopic group were similar. Follow-up for 12 months after the operation showed no postoperative complications and recurrence. The score of the health-related quality of life questionnaire for gastroesophageal reflux disease in the robot group decreased from 10.8±2.8 before the operation to 6.5±0.6 after the operation, and that in the laparoscopic group decreased from 10.6±2.1 before the operation to 6.3±0.6 after the operation. There was no difference in the influence of different surgical methods on the change in score (t=0.030,P=0.976). Conclusion: Compared with laparoscopic repair of the hiatal hernia, robot-assisted hiatal hernia repair has the advantages of less bleeding, rapid postoperative recovery and good short-term effect.

Review and prospect of anti-reflux surgery for gastroesophageal reflux disease in China / 中华消化外科杂志

Gastroesophageal reflux disease and its complications are harmful to human health. In recent years, due to the rising living standards and the changing diet structure of Chinese people, the incidence rate of gastroesophageal reflux disease in China is on the rise, and the awareness of clinicians on these diseases gradually increased. Laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery has become the main surgical method for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease, and its curative effect has been widely recognized. At present, laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery for gastro-esophageal reflux disease has been carried out for more than 10 years in China, which has accumulated valuable experience and achieved rapid development, providing Chinese evidences for the academic community. Anti-reflux surgery for gastroesophageal reflux disease in China is also facing challenges and opportunities. How to promote anti-reflux surgery comprehensively, train professional clinicians, and improve the surgical efficacy is an important research topic of anti-reflux surgery in China. Based on the literatures at home and abroad and team experience, the authors reviewe the development of gastroesophageal reflux disease anti-reflux surgery in China, and look forward to the future development direction.