A retrospective audit of Robotic versus Laparoscopic Anterior Resection for diverticular disease in a Single Surgeon’s Experience

Abstract

Purpose There has been a shift towards elective resection for recurrent or complicated diverticular disease to prevent recurrent episodes of diverticulitis. Our study aims to compare the outcomes in elective robotic and laparoscopic anterior resection for diverticular disease by a single surgeon experienced in both techniques. Method This is a retrospective study of patients who underwent elective anterior resections at the Nepean Public Hospital, Nepean Private Hospital, and Sydney Adventist Hospital (SAN) in the last 10 years. The single surgeon is an experienced surgeon who has performed laparoscopic anterior resections from January 2013 to December 2018; and mainly robotic anterior resections from January 2018 to July 2022. The primary outcome of this study was to determine if there were any differences in length of stay and post-operative complications in laparoscopic and robotic anterior resections. Secondary outcomes included operating time, rate of conversion to open surgery, and 30-day mortality and morbidity. Results 53 patients included in this study. There was no significant difference in conversion to open rates (p=0.528), mean operative time (p=0.095), stoma formation rates (p=0.528) and post-operative complication rates (0.609). Length of stay was significantly shorter in the robotic group (p=0.024), and a higher proportion of patients who had laparoscopic surgery stayed for ≥6 days (p=0.08). There were no anastomotic leakages, or 30-day mortality and morbidity. Conclusion Robotic anterior resection is a feasible approach in experienced hands and produces comparable results to laparoscopic anterior resection for diverticular disease in terms of length of stay, post-operative complications and operative timings.