Robotic resection of the liver caudate lobe: technical description and initial consideration

Firstly described in 2002, the robotic liver surgery has not spread widely due to its high cost and the lack of a standardized training program. Still being considered as a 'development in progress' technique, it has however a potential to overcome the traditional limitations of the laparoscopic approach in liver interventions.

We analyzed the postoperative outcomes of 10 patients who had undergone robotic partial resection of the caudate lobe (Spiegel lobe) from March 2014 to May 2016 in order to evaluate the advantages of robotic technique in hands of a young surgeon.

The mean operative time was 258min (150-522) and the estimated blood loss 137ml (50-359), in none of the cases a blood transfusion was required. No patient underwent a conversion to open surgery; the overall morbidity was 2/10 (20%) and all the complications occurred (biliary fistula and pleural effusion) did not require a surgical revision. At histological examination, the mean tumour size was 2.63cm and we achieved R0-resection rate of 100%. The 90-day mortality rate was null. The 1-year overall and disease free-survival rates were 100% and 80%, respectively.

Despite several concerns regarding the cost-effectiveness, a fully robotic partial resection of caudate lobe is an advantageous, implementable technique providing promising short-term postoperative outcomes with acceptable benefit-risk profile.