Robot-sewn Ivor-Lewis anastomosis: preliminary experience and technical details

Introduction: Robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy with intra-thoracic anastomosis showed encouraging results but there is a lack of data to demonstrate the safety and feasibility.

Objective: The aim of this study is to report our experience in RA-ILE (robotic-assisted Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy) with robotic hand-sewn anastomosis.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients who underwent robotic-assisted esophagectomy in prone position with intrathoracic anastomosis for malignant neoplasm of the esophagus or esophago-gastric junction.

Results: From January 2012 to December 2014 we performed eight completely robot-assisted esophagectomy without intra-operative complication. The mortality rate at 30-day was zero. In two patients we observed a partial leakage of the gastric tube that required revision. The mean operative time was 499 ± 46 min including robotic set up and patient positioning. The median hospital-stay was 10 days. Complete (R0) resection was accomplished in all patients and the mean number of lymph nodes removed was 37.6 ± 14 .7.

Conclusions: This preliminary experience suggests that robotic-assisted RA-ILE for malignant lesions is a real surgical option compared with conventional surgery with satisfactory results. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.