Hybrid abdominal robotic approach with conventional transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) for rectal cancer: feasibility and outcomes from a single institution

AbstractTotal mesorectal excision (TME) is currently recognised as the standard of care for patients with rectal cancer. Complete TME is known to be associated with lower rates of recurrence. Robotic and endoscopic TaTME approaches are reported to offer excellent proximal and distal rectal dissection into the TME plane, however, combining both approaches in a hybrid procedure could potentially optimise visualisation of the dissection plane and confer improved circumferential and distal margin rates. The aim of this study was to analyse the feasibility of a hybrid robotic abdominal approach with conventional TaTME for rectal cancer. Furthermore, pathological and patient outcomes were assessed. A review of prospectively maintained databases was undertaken to assess all patients undergoing robotic TME surgery for rectal tumours from August 2016 to October 2017. Patient demographics, tumour characteristics and outcomes were collated from patient charts and hospital databases. All patients underwent a modified Cecil approach after multidisciplinary team discussion. Eight patients (7 male, 1 female) underwent a combined hybrid approach with a median age of 60  years (range 47–73) and BMI of 29.5 (range 20–39.1) kg/m2. Median distance from the anorectal junction (ARJ) was 7.5 (range 4 –13) cm. Six patients underwent neoadjuvant treatment with chemoradiotherapy. Patients had a median length of stay (LOS) of 9 (range 4–33) days. There were no intra-operative complications enc...
Source: Journal of Robotic Surgery - Category: Surgery Source Type: research