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Khajeh E, Nikbakhsh R, Ramouz A, Majlesara A, Golriz M, Müller-Stich BP, Nickel F, Morath C, Zeier M, Mehrabi A. Robot-assisted versus laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy: superior outcomes after completion of the learning curve. J Robot Surg 2023; 17:2513-2526. [PMID: 37531044 PMCID: PMC10492879 DOI: 10.1007/s11701-023-01681-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
The use of robots in donor nephrectomy has increased in recent years. However, whether robot-assisted methods have better outcomes than traditional laparoscopic methods and how surgical experience influences these outcomes remains unclear. This meta-analysis compares the outcomes of robot-assisted donor nephrectomy (RADN) with those of laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) and to investigate the effects of surgical experience on these outcomes. A systematic literature search was conducted in Medline (through PubMed) and Web of Science databases. Perioperative data were extracted for meta-analysis. To assess the impact of the learning curve, a subgroup analysis was performed to compare outcomes between inexperienced and experienced surgeons. Seventeen studies with 6970 donors were included. Blood loss was lower (mean difference [MD] = - 13.28, p < 0.01) and the warm ischemia time was shorter (MD = - 0.13, p < 0.05) in the LDN group than the RADN group. There were no significant differences in terms of conversion to open surgery, operation time, surgical complications, hospital stay, costs, and delayed graft function between the groups. Subgroup analysis revealed that operation time (MD = - 1.09, p < 0.01) and length of hospital stay (MD = - 1.54, p < 0.05) were shorter and the rate of conversion to open surgery (odds ratios [OR] = 0.14, p < 0.0001) and overall surgical complications (OR = 0.23, p < 0.05) were lower in experienced RADN surgeons than in experienced LDN surgeons. Surgical experience enhances the perioperative outcomes following RADN more than it does following LDN. This suggests that RADN could be the method of choice for living donor nephrectomy as soon as surgeons gain sufficient experience in robotic surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elias Khajeh
- Head of the Division for Abdominal Transplantation, Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 420, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rajan Nikbakhsh
- Head of the Division for Abdominal Transplantation, Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 420, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ali Ramouz
- Head of the Division for Abdominal Transplantation, Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 420, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ali Majlesara
- Head of the Division for Abdominal Transplantation, Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 420, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mohammad Golriz
- Head of the Division for Abdominal Transplantation, Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 420, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Beat P Müller-Stich
- Head of the Division for Abdominal Transplantation, Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 420, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Felix Nickel
- Head of the Division for Abdominal Transplantation, Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 420, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christian Morath
- Department of Nephrology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Martin Zeier
- Department of Nephrology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Arianeb Mehrabi
- Head of the Division for Abdominal Transplantation, Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 420, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
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