Robotic liver resection with short-pitch dividing shortens hospital stay

Robotic liver resection using a close-to-open forceps technique was associated with no bile leakage and a shorter hospital stay than laparoscopic resection, even though more complex resections were performed in the robotic group.

• Bile leakage occurred in 0 of the robotic patients versus 6 (3.1%) of the laparoscopic patients.
• Median hospital stay was 4 days in the robotic group versus 6 days in the laparoscopic group.
• Intermediate/high-complexity resections were more frequent in the robotic groups (45.8% vs. 31.9%).

This is a single-center, retrospective comparison, so it cannot prove the technique caused the better outcomes. It is a reasonable option for robotic parenchymal transection in centers with experience, and it is worth evaluating in a prospective comparison.