Does Robotic Distal Gastrectomy Facilitate Minimally Invasive Surgery for Gastric Cancer?

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Robotic surgical systems have advantages over laparoscopic surgery. The object of this study was to assess patients' postoperative outcomes after robotic distal gastrectomy (RDG) compared to laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 21 and 119 patients who underwent RDG and LDG, respectively, for stage I gastric cancer. Short-term outcomes were compared including drain amylase levels and quality of life using a post-gastrectomy syndrome questionnaire. RESULTS: No patients experienced pancreatic fistula or anastomosis-related complications following RDG. The rate of overall complications tended to be lower in patients undergoing RDG. In addition to drain amylase level, inflammatory findings were lower after RDG than LDG. Patients undergoing RDG experienced a better quality of life and less dissatisfaction in daily life. CONCLUSION: RDG is feasible and produced highly-satisfactory results for early gastric cancer. We believe that the effective use of robotic surgery will increase safety and precision in minimally invasive surgery.