Minimally Invasive Approaches Outperform Open Liver Resection

Robotic-assisted and laparoscopic liver resection yield better outcomes for BCLC stage 0/A hepatocellular carcinoma compared to open surgery.

• Operative times were longer for robotic (225 min) and laparoscopic (225 min) than for open (170 min, p < 0.001).
• Postoperative complications were lower for robotic (12.5%) and laparoscopic (13.4%) versus open (17.1%, p < 0.001), with fewer severe complications.
• Robotic surgery showed the highest 5-year quality-adjusted life years while laparoscopic was the most cost-effective (-$24,379/QALY).

Surgeons should consider adopting robotic and laparoscopic methods to enhance patient recovery and long-term success rates.