Robotic laparoendoscopic single-site surgery in gynecology: A systematic review

Robotic laparoendoscopic single-site (R-LESS) seems to be the next route in advancing minimal invasive surgery, with the potential for better cosmetic results and reduced patient morbidity compared with multi-port surgery. This review describes the history and development of (R-LESS) gynecologic surgery and outlines the latest advancements in the realm of gynecology. The review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Pubmed and ClinicalTrials.gov (www.clinicaltrials.gov) were the main search engines utilized for retrieval of study data (1990 - present). The following subject headings and keywords were searched: "robotic laparoscopic single incision", "robotic laparoendoscopic single site", "single incision robotic surgery" and "single-port robotic surgery". All original research articles including randomized, non-randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, patient series, and case reports were included. The search produced a total of 1127 results. After duplicate removal, 452 remained, and each title and abstract was reviewed by 2 reviewers. Subsequently, 56 full texts were selected for full review and an additional 20 excluded, leaving 36 studies that were included in the final review. Based on the data gathered we reached the conclusion that R-LESS surgery is feasible, safe and has equivalent surgical outcomes as conventional LESS surgery; in addition to shorter recovery times, less postoperative pain and better cosmetic outcomes than robotic multi-port surgery. To conclude, R-LESS is a feasible approach with low complication rates, minimal blood loss and postsurgical pain, fast recovery, and virtually scar-free results. However, the lack of large comparative prospective randomized controlled studies prevents drawing absolute conclusions.