Four clamp-crush techniques in robotic hepatectomy (with video)

Recently, reports of robotic hepatectomies have increased. In a laparoscopic hepatectomy, various energy devices are used for parenchymal transections, especially the clamp-crush method and the Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator (CUSA) system are popular; however, there is no CUSA that can be operated from the robot console. We believe that conventional clamp-crush method can be classified into four categories and have tried to verbalize them. We aim to explain the four types of clamp-crush techniques of robotic hepatectomy that we have performed and to assess their outcomes, safety, and feasibility. The data of patients who underwent robotic hepatectomy at Iwate Medical University Hospital between June 2022 and April 2024 were retrospectively reviewed. For comparison, 298 patients who underwent pure laparoscopic hepatectomy at Iwate Medical University Hospital between January 2014 and December 2020 were enrolled and analyzed. Our four clamp-crush techniques (Clamp, Peck, Open, Sweep) are demonstrated in the video clips provided with our study's electronic data. In the present study, 58 patients were included. In 27 cases (46.6%), a limited resection was performed; in 9 cases (15.5%), a subsegmentectomy; in 15 cases (25.9%), a sectionectomy; and in 7 cases (12.1%), a hemihepatectomy. The mean operative time was 205.9±90.5 min, and the mean intraoperative blood loss was 103.1±200.7 mL. There were no cases of conversion to a laparotomy. In comparison with laparoscopic hepatectomies, there were no significant differences in perioperative outcomes. The present findings indicate that robotic hepatectomies are safe and feasible in high-volume specialized centers with a team experienced in laparoscopic liver surgeries. It is possible to transition from laparoscopic hepatectomy to robotic hepatectomy without stress due to the fact that the same four clamp-crush techniques that are used in laparoscopic hepatectomy, which can be done in a robotic hepatectomy.