Bottom-up suprapubic approach for robotic right colectomy: technical aspects and preliminary outcomes

Complete mesocolic excision (CME) for right colectomy increase the technical complexity of a laparoscopic approach especially when an intracorporeal anastomosis (IA) is associated. The robotic platform, with its intrinsic technical advantages, could potentially overcome the limitations of conventional laparoscopy. This study aimed to describe the robotic bottom-up technique and to evaluate short-terms outcomes of robotic right colectomy (RRC) with CME and IA.

Data from patients who underwent RRC for cancer with bottom-up suprapubic approach from October 2016 to April 2020 were prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed. Intraoperative outcomes and complications, conversion rate, 30-day postoperative outcomes, incisional hernia rate and pathological outcomes were the variables assessed.

A total of 109 patients were submitted to bottom-up suprapubic approach for RRC with CME and IA during the study period. Mean operative time was 179 min, no intraoperative complications were observed, and the conversion rate was 3.6%. Mean postoperative stay was 4.6 days and the overall 30-day complication rate was 15.6%. Thirteen patients (12%) had minor complications, while major postoperative complications occurred in 4 patients (3.6%). Anastomotic leak was recorded in 1 patient (0.9%) and the 30-day re-admission rate was 0.9%. Mean number of harvested lymph nodes was 22.6. Incisional hernia rate at the specimen extraction site was 0.9%.

Bottom-up approach for RRC with CME and IA carries a low rate of conversions, intraoperative and short-term postoperative complications.