Robot-assisted Parotidectomy: Improved Clinical and Patient-Reported Outcomes

Area of Science:

• Surgical Oncology
• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Head and Neck Surgery

Background:

• Parotidectomy is a surgical procedure to remove tumors from the parotid gland.
• Conventional, endoscopic, and robot-assisted techniques exist, each with potential benefits and drawbacks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare perioperative outcomes, postoperative safety, and patient-reported outcomes of conventional, endoscopic, and robot-assisted parotidectomy.
• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of robot-assisted parotidectomy for primary benign parotid tumors.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective comparative study of 212 adult patients undergoing parotidectomy.
• Outcomes assessed included operative time, blood loss, complications, recurrence, scar appearance, and patient-reported outcomes.
• Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to control for confounding factors.

Main Results:

• Robot-assisted parotidectomy had longer operative times but reduced blood loss and lower risk of long-term complications, including facial nerve palsy.
• Both minimally invasive approaches (robot-assisted and endoscopic) resulted in shorter incisions and improved patient-reported outcomes compared to conventional surgery.
• Robot-assisted surgery also reduced short-term complications, with no increased overall perioperative or postoperative risk observed.

Conclusions:

• Robot-assisted parotidectomy demonstrates improved clinical and patient-reported outcomes for benign parotid tumors.
• This technique offers potential advantages without evidence of increased surgical risk.
• Further validation in prospective multicenter studies is recommended.