Surgeons favour robots, but scoping is just as good
Operating times are 40 minutes longer with robotic surgery
1st November 2017
Robotic surgery is increasingly being used for indications beyond prostate cancer but offers no advantages over conventional surgery despite its higher cost, two new studies show.
A randomised trial of robotic surgery for resection of rectal cancer in 471 UK patients found no significant differences in the main outcomes or in rates of complications when compared with laparoscopic surgery.
Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study also showed that operating times were 40 minutes longer with robotic surgery, and costs were $1483