Adrenalectomy Performed with the Da Vinci Single-Port Robotic System: A Systematic Review and Pooled Analysis

The Da Vinci Single-Port (DV-SP) system emerged in 2018 but there is limited evidence on its use and perioperative outcomes for robot-assisted adrenalectomy (RAA).

A systematic search was performed through PubMed, Scopus, Ovid, and WoS in December 2024. A PICO framework was used.

adult patients with adrenal masses; Intervention: DV-SP RAA; Outcomes: feasibility, reproducibility and safety of DV-SP RAA. A total of five retrospective studies involving 342 patients were included. The quantitative analysis was conducted using a random-effect model or a fixed-effect model as appropriate. A risk of bias assessment for non-randomized comparative studies and case series was performed.

The pooled mean operative time was 92.5 min (95% confidence interval [CI] 71.2, 113.9, p I² = 0%, four studies), and the mean estimated blood loss (EBL) was 26.5 mL (95%CI -8.1, 61.2, I² = 98.2%, three studies). Most of the procedures were completed with a single incision, though some required additional port placement, with a proportion of 9% (95%CI 0, 29, I² = 71.7%, five studies). Perioperative complications were rare (0%, 95% CI 0, 4, I² = 0%, five studies). Two studies comparing DV-SP and DV multi-port (MP) found no significant differences in complications. One study compared DV-SP RAA to DV Si or Xi single-access procedures. DV-SP showed improved operative techniques and better cosmetic outcomes. Limitations of this study are small sample size and potential selection bias due to smaller masses in the DV-SP RAA group.

DV-SP RAA is a promising approach, offering reduced operative time, low EBL, and excellent cosmetic results. This study shows that DV-SP RAA seems reproducible, feasible, and safe. Limitation of the included studies are small sample size and selection bias, which limits the generalizability of the results. Randomized comparative studies between DV-SP and MP RAA are needed to further validate these findings.