Robotic living donor right hepatectomy: short-term outcomes compared with conventional open donor hepatectomy

Abstract

Introduction: Laparoscopic donor right hepatectomy has been performed in a few centers by expert surgeons. Robotic system is one of the tools for laparoscopic liver resection, however, there has been few studies about surgical outcomes after robotic living donor right hepatectomy. Method: From Apr. 2016 to Sep 2017, 22 liver donors received robotic right hepatectomy in our institute. Short-term outcomes were compared with 62 liver donors who received conventional open donor hepatectomy. Results: The median age for robotic donor was 28 years (range, 17–50) and twelve donors were male. The median graft volume was 675.5 ml (range, 517–919). As for short-term outcomes, the median operative time was significantly longer in robotic group than open group (555.5 min vs. 409.5min, p< 0.001). But, the median blood loss was significantly lower in robotic group than open group (100 ml vs. 250 ml, p < 0.001). Perioperative blood transfusion was required in one patient of open group. There was one conversion to open surgery in robotic group and postoperative complication rate were not different between two groups (robotic group = 18.2% vs open group = 12.9%). The median length of hospital stay is significantly shorter in robotic group than open group (9 days vs 10 days, P = 0.03). Conclusion: From our experience, robotic living donor right hepatectomy is feasible and safe at expert hands in selected liver donors. Even though operative time is longer in robotic group, robotic living donor hepatectomy showed similar complication rate and shorter hospital stay compared to conventional open donor hepatectomy.