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The following is a summary of “Robotic compared with laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A National Surgical Quality Improvement Program comparative analysis,” published in the September 2024 issue of Surgery by Maegawa et al.

Although robotic cholecystectomy represents an evolving surgical technique, its clinical benefits over the traditional laparoscopic approach remain unclear. This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess whether robotic cholecystectomy offers superior surgical outcomes compared to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Data were extracted from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, focusing on patients who underwent either procedure for benign conditions in 2022. A total of 59,216 patients were analyzed, with 53,746 undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 5,470 robotic cholecystectomy. 

Patients in the laparoscopic group were generally older (mean age 50.4 vs. 49.7 years), more likely to be male (32.7% vs. 29.7%), and represented a higher percentage of races other than White, African American, and Asian (28.6% vs. 14.8%). Multivariable logistic regression revealed that robotic cholecystectomy was associated with significantly lower odds of experiencing Clavien-Dindo grade 3 or 4 complications (odds ratio [OR] 0.82; 95% CI, 0.69–0.98), conversion to open surgery (OR 0.44; 95% CI, 0.32–0.61), and hospitalization for ≥24 hours (OR 0.76; 95% CI, 0.71–0.81). There were no significant differences between the two approaches regarding reoperation rates (OR 0.69; 95% CI, 0.47–1.00) and readmission rates (OR 0.94; 95% CI, 0.82–1.10). These findings suggest that robotic cholecystectomy may offer enhanced safety, particularly by reducing the risk of serious complications and minimizing the need for prolonged hospital stays or conversion to open surgery. 

As new surgical technologies continue to advance, robotic cholecystectomy shows promise in further improving the safety and outcomes of minimally invasive procedures.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0039606024005853