Robotic radical hysterectomy has advantages

New technologies now allow surgery to be performed with less impact on patient quality of life. As the trend toward minimally invasive surgery grows, robotic-assisted surgery has become an appealing tool for gynecologic oncology surgeons. However, to date, there is little data to confirm the benefits of this technology. New research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) compares robotic radical hysterectomy (RRH) using the DaVinci robot to classically performed open radical hysterectomies (ORH) in patients with stage I and II cervical cancer. Researchers found that RRH results in lower blood loss and shorter length of stay compared with ORH. The findings are available online and published in the December print issue of Gynecologic Oncology.

“Robotic radical hysterectomy is a new and important method for both surgeons and patients as the entire field of surgery trends toward minimally invasive procedures. In our study, we show that this approach can reduce both blood loss and the length of hospital stay for the patient,” said Colleen Feltmate, a gynecologic oncology surgeon at BWH and senior author on the study.

Researchers reviewed and compared intraoperative and post-surgical factors for 16 RRHs and 32 ORHs, procedures performed between August 2004 and June 2007. Researchers found that although the surgeries took longer, patients who underwent RRH had less blood loss compared with those who had ORH procedures. Patients who had an RRH also had shorter hospital stays after the surgery compared with patients who had ORH. The complications both during and after surgery for both RRH and ORH were comparable.

“Although the time spent performing the operation in RRH cases was longer, this was reduced over time as surgeons and staff became more familiar with the procedure and the technology,” said Feltmate. “This robotic-assisted approach deserves further exploration to evaluate the full potential and application of RRH.”