A multicenter study of initial experience with single-incision robotic cholecystectomies (SIRC) demonstrating a high success rate in 465 cases

Abstract

Background Recently, the robotic single-site platform has been used to ameliorate the difficulties seen in single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILC) while preserving the benefits of standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The purpose of this study is to describe the clinical outcomes of a large series of single-incision robotic cholecystectomy (SIRC). Methods Medical records of consecutive patients who underwent SIRC were retrospectively reviewed. All procedures were performed by six surgeons at five different North American centers involved in the study. All patients included in the study underwent a cholecystectomy attempted through single site at the umbilicus, using the da Vinci^® Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical Inc. Sunnyvale, CA). Results A total of 465 patients met study criteria. Median age was 48 years (range 18–89); 351 (75.5 %) were female and 304 (66.4 %) were overweight or obese. Except for gender, case characteristics differed significantly by surgeon/site. Previous abdominal surgery was reported for 226 (48.6 %) cases. SIRC was successfully completed in 455 (97.8 %) cases, and there were no conversions to open surgery. Median surgical time was 52 min with a decreasing trend after 55–85 cases. Male gender, obesity and diagnoses other than biliary dyskinesia were independent predictors of longer surgical times. The complication rate was 2.6 %. Conclusions Our large, multicenter study demonstrates that robotic single-site cholecystectomy is safe and feasible in a wide range of patients.