Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
08:34
Optimizing Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: A Fully 3D CT O-Arm Navigated Workflow in MIS TLIF
Published on: October 17, 2025
Exploratory Analysis of Intraoperative Time Structure During the Initial Clinical Experience With Minimally Invasive
Yuki Takenaka1, Tsutomu Hayashi1, Maho Takuwa1
1Department of Gastric Surgery, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Asian Journal of Endoscopic Surgery
|July 28, 2026
Summary
The da Vinci SP system for robotic gastrectomy significantly reduced operative time and "junk time" compared to the multi-port robotic Xi system. This minimally invasive approach shows promise for improving surgical efficiency in gastric cancer treatment.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Oncology
- Minimally Invasive Surgery
- Robotic Surgery
Background:
- Robotic gastrectomy is used for gastric cancer but often has longer operative times than laparoscopic surgery.
- Prolonged operative duration in robotic surgery may be attributed to
- junk time
- which refers to non-productive periods during the procedure.
- This study investigates the intraoperative time structure of a novel minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic (MILAR) approach using the da Vinci SP system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate and compare the intraoperative time structure between the da Vinci SP system (MILAR group) and the conventional multi-port robotic (Xi) system during distal gastrectomy.
- To identify differences in effective time and junk time between the two robotic approaches.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis of consecutive patients undergoing robot-assisted distal gastrectomy with D1+/D2 lymphadenectomy.
- Patients were categorized into two groups: SP (MILAR) and conventional multi-port robotic (Xi).
- Operative videos were reviewed to quantify operative time, effective time, and junk time.
Main Results:
- The SP group had significantly shorter total operative time (148.0 min) compared to the Xi group (204.0 min).
- Junk time was significantly reduced in the SP group (30.4 min vs. 36.6 min).
- Fewer robotic instrument exchanges occurred in the SP group (4 vs. 46), contributing to improved efficiency. No increase in complications was observed.
Conclusions:
- The da Vinci SP system demonstrated a more efficient intraoperative workflow during initial clinical experience for robotic gastrectomy.
- Reduced junk time and instrument exchanges highlight the potential benefits of the SP system for optimizing surgical duration.
- Further prospective studies are warranted to validate these findings and explore the hybrid team-based approach characteristics.
