Robotic versus Open Level I-II Inferior Vena Cava Thrombectomy: A Matched Group Comparative Analysis

We compared treatment outcomes of robotic vs open inferior vena cava thrombectomy for renal tumors with level I-II inferior vena cava tumor thrombus.

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent robotic or open inferior vena cava thrombectomy between 2006 and 2016. To reduce the inherent biases of a nonrandomized study the robotic and open groups were matched 1:1 based on key variables. Perioperative data and oncologic outcomes were reviewed. Progression-free and overall survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and compared between groups using the log rank test.

A total of 31 and 37 patients underwent robotic and open inferior vena cava thrombectomy, respectively. After matching there were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the groups. Of the matched cohorts the robotic cohort had significantly shorter median operative time (150 vs 230 minutes, p <0.001), lower median estimated blood loss (250 vs 1,000 ml, p <0.001), a lower rate of blood transfusion (6.5% vs 54.8%, p <0.001), a lower median transfusion requirement (420 vs 790 ml, p = 0.012) and a shorter median postoperative hospital stay (5 vs 9 days, p <0.001). The postoperative complication rate was lower in the robotic group than in the open group (9.7% vs 29.0%, p = 0.070). However, there were no significant differences in oncologic outcomes between the groups.

Robotic inferior vena cava thrombectomy can achieve more favorable perioperative results and similar oncologic outcomes compared with open inferior vena cava thrombectomy. Prospective studies with a larger sample size and longer followup are needed to validate our findings.