Robotic pancreatic surgery in a high-volume pancreatic cancer surgery center – first experience

Summary: Introduction: Robotic pancreatic surgery is still not widely used in the Czech Republic. On a global scale, it is gradually being systematically implemented, especially in high-volume centers. The study presents the first experiences with robotic pancreatic surgery in a pancreatic surgery high-volume center in the Czech Republic. Methods: Comparative analysis of the first ten patients operated on robotically for pancreatic pathology with a comparable group operated open (smaller procedures: left pancreatectomy with/without splenectomy, enucleation, central resection) evaluates age, length of hospitalization, ICU stay, blood loss and operative time using non-parametric Mann--Whitney U-test, and complications and rehospitalization using descriptive statistics. The results: The compared sets consist of 10 patients, 5 women, with a robotic procedure (5× enucleation, 4× distal pancreatectomy and central resection – median age 65.3 [46–76] years) and 10 patients, 5 women, with comparable open procedures (5× enucleation, 4× distal resection and central resection – median age 65.5 [52–78]years. Hospitalization length 4.5 days vs. 9 days (P = 0.0003) and operation time 275 min vs. 142 min (P = 0.004) were statistically different in the robotic vs open group. ICU stay and blood loss were lower in the robotic group, but not statistically significant, age was comparable. Complications according to the Clavien-Dindo classification in the open group: 3× type II, 1× type IIIa, 1× type IIIb, in the robotic group 1× type II and 1× type IIIa. Rehospitalization in the open group was 2×, in the robotic group 1x, always for late postoperative complications. Conclusion: Robotic surgery of the pancreas is currently in its infancy in the Czech Republic. The experience so far with the first ten patients operated on using the DaVinci Xi robotic system has yielded promising results in form of shorter hospitalization, but at cost of longer operating time. Key words: pancreatectomy – enucleation – pancreas – robotics – minimal invasiveness – hospital stay – enhanced postsurgical recovery