Robotic Transabdominal Cerclage vs Laparotomy: A Comparison of Obstetric and Surgical Outcomes.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare obstetric and surgical outcomes of transabdominal cerclage (TAC) via laparotomy (TAC-LAP) versus robotic-assisted (TAC-RA) approaches. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: An academic medical center. PATIENTS: Sixty-nine women with acquired or congenital cervical insufficiency. INTERVENTIONS: All women underwent TAC either by laparotomy or robotic-assisted approaches by 2 primary surgeons between January 2003 and July 2018. Women with a preconceptional TAC without a subsequent pregnancy were excluded. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 69 women met inclusion criteria in the 15-year study period with 40 in the historical TAC-LAP group and 29 in the TAC-RA group. Gestational age at delivery was similar in the 2 groups (36 weeks 3 days vs 37 weeks; median difference -1 day, 95% confidence interval [CI] -6 to 2, p = .36). There were no differences in birth weight, Apgar scores, neonatal intensive care unit admission, or neonatal survival. Estimated blood loss and length of stay were significantly greater in the TAC-LAP group (50 mL vs 20 mL; median difference 25, 95% CI 5-40, p = .007 and 76 hours vs 3 hours; median difference 71, 95% CI 65-75, p <.001, respectively). Operative time was significantly shorter in the TAC-LAP group (65 minutes vs 132 minutes; median difference -64.7, 95% CI -79 to -49, p <.001). There was one intra-operative complication and 4 minor postoperative complications in the TAC-LAP group and none observed in the TAC-RA group. All outcomes were similar when comparing postconceptional TAC alone, except there was no longer a difference in blood loss. When comparing pre- versus postconceptional robotic TAC, there were no differences in surgical outcomes. CONCLUSION: Robotic TAC has similar favorable obstetric outcomes to traditional laparotomy and is associated with reduced blood loss and shorter hospital stays. Despite longer operative times, the robotic group did not experience any intra-operative or postoperative complications, which speaks to the benefits of this minimally invasive approach to TAC.

Robot-assisted transabdominal cerclage for the prevention of preterm birth: A multicenter experience.

OBJECTIVE: High-risk pregnancy stratification and the use of Progesterone and prophylactic cerclage based on prior obstetrical outcomes and cervical length screening have been successful in curbing the impact of preterm birth. However, a large number of women will still suffer from preterm delivery even with optimal management. Experts agree that a transabdominal cerclage is the next best option for women who fail a transvaginal cerclage in a prior pregnancy. Our primary objective with this study is to assess the obstetric benefits and feasibility of robotic-assisted transabdominal cerclage in high-risk women projected to have poor obstetric outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: A multicenter retrospective cohort analysis of consecutive patients undergoing a robotic-assisted transabdominal cerclage (RA-TAC) for obstetric indications at two urban teaching university hospital and one academically affiliated community hospital. High-volume gynecologic surgeons performed all transabdominal cerclage procedures (N = 68). To assess whether the transabdominal cerclage had any effect on subsequent pregnancies, we categorized gestational age into ordinal variables and used a two-proportion z-test to compare pregnancy outcomes and neonatal survival pre (n = 200) and post (n = 59) abdominal cerclage placement. RESULTS: A total of 68 consecutive patients undergoing a RA-TAC for obstetric indications were selected. We compared 200 pregnancies pre-robot-assisted cerclage to 59 pregnancies post-robot-assisted cerclage. The odds of delivering after 34 and 37 weeks gestational age was 4.0 and 3.6 times greater post-robot-assisted cerclage, respectively (P < 0.001). The RA-TAC also had a significant effect on neonatal survival. The odds of neonatal survival was 12.6 times greater after RA-TAC placement when compared to prior pregnancy outcomes. Surgical outcomes were also favorable with no conversions to laparotomy or perioperative pregnancy loss. CONCLUSION: The RA-TAC influences an increase in gestational age and improves neonatal survival in women projected to have poor pregnancy outcomes. The robot-assisted transabdominal cerclages provide excellent obstetric outcomes without the morbidity of a laparotomy or the technical challenges associated with a conventional straight-stick laparoscopy. This procedure is not intended to replace any other minimally invasive modality for cerclage placement but rather increase awareness of a less technically challenging option for transabdominal cerclage placement to help propagate the procedure to more patients.