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Published on: June 24, 2022
Robotic versus laparoscopic surgery for choledochal cyst in children with aberrant hepatic ducts: A retrospective
Xiaolong Xie1, Kewei Li1, Bo Xiang1
1Department of Pediatric Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China.
Insights
Robotic surgery offers comparable outcomes to laparoscopic surgery for pediatric choledochal cysts with aberrant hepatic ducts. Robotic procedures may reduce operative difficulty and shorten recovery times.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric surgery
- Minimally invasive surgery
- Surgical technology
Background:
- Choledochal cysts associated with aberrant hepatic ducts present unique surgical challenges in pediatric patients.
- Evaluating the safety and effectiveness of different surgical modalities is crucial for optimizing patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the safety and effectiveness of robotic versus laparoscopic surgery for pediatric choledochal cysts with aberrant hepatic ducts.
- To identify potential advantages of robotic-assisted surgery in this specific patient population.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of pediatric patients treated between January 2009 and June 2022.
- Patients were categorized into laparoscopic and robotic surgery groups.
- Data collected included demographics, imaging, operative details, and postoperative complications.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in patient characteristics were observed between the groups.
- Laparoscopic surgery involved longer operation and anesthesia times compared to robotic surgery (p < 0.001).
- Robotic surgery demonstrated shorter times to water intake and hospital stays (p < 0.05) with similar complication rates.
Conclusions:
- Robotic surgery provides comparable results to laparoscopic surgery for choledochal cysts with aberrant hepatic ducts in children.
- Robotic procedures may simplify the surgical process and facilitate faster patient recovery.
- This suggests robotic surgery is a viable and potentially advantageous option for managing these complex pediatric cases.
Background:
The aim of this current study was to compare the safety and effectiveness between robotic and laparoscopic surgery in pediatric patients suffered from choledochal cysts associated with aberrant hepatic duct.
Methods:
Patients suffered from choledochal cysts associated with aberrant hepatic duct who were treated with laparoscopic or robotic procedures between January 2009 and June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into laparoscopic and robotic group according to different surgical methods. The data collected included the demographic information, imaging information, operative details and postoperative complications.
Results:
Twenty-two patients were included in the analysis consisting of 14 cases in laparoscopic group and 8 cases in robotic group. The male to female ratio was 1:6.33. The median age of the patients was 40.00 months with a mean weight of 16.99 kg. There were no significant differences in patient characteristics between the two groups. The operation and anesthesia time were significantly longer in the laparoscopic procedures group (238.14 ± 17.24 min, 265.93 ± 19.51 min, respectively) than robotic procedures group (208.00 ± 9.24 min, 230.13 ± 12.87 min, respectively) (p < 0.001). The time to take water and hospital stay were longer in laparoscopic group (3.33 ± 0.44 days, 8.92 ± 0.52 days, respectively) than robotic group (3.01 ± 0.22 days, 7.88 ± 1.13 days, respectively) (p < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in total complications between the two groups (p = 0.912).
Conclusions:
Robotic surgery can achieve the same results as laparoscopic surgery in the management of patients suffered from choledochal cysts associated with aberrant hepatic duct, at the same time reducing the difficulty of operation and recovering faster.

