Perioperative and oncologic outcomes of single-port versus conventional robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy: an evidence-based analysis of comparative outcomes

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety between single-port robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy (da Vinci SP system) with conventional robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy (da Vinci Si or Xi system). We systematically searched PubMed, Science Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library database for articles comparing single-port robotic-assisted partial nephrectomies (SP-RAPN) and conventional robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy (Con-RAPN) till September 2022. The principal outcomes included perioperative outcomes, complications, and oncologic outcomes were evaluated. A total of 586 patients were included in six studies. There were no significant differences in operative time (p = 0.19), transfusion rates (p = 0.11), off-clamp (p = 0.32), total perioperative milligram morphine equivalents (MME) (p = 0.44), intraoperative complications (p = 0.60), major complications (p = 0.84), overall complications (p = 0.90), positive surgical margins (PSM) (p = 0.75) and local recurrence (p = 0.50) between SP-RAPN and Con-RAPN. In addition, the marginal results were recorded in length of hospital stay subgroup (WMD - 0.35 days, 95% CI - 0.70, 0.01; p = 0.06) and blood loss (WMD - 27.16 ml, 95% CI - 56.90, 2.58; p = 0.07). However, SP-RAPN had longer warm ischemia time compared to Con-RAPN (WMD 3.42 min, 95% CI 1.71, 5.13; p < 0.0001). The results of this study demonstrated that SP-RAPN provided similar effectiveness and safety to Con-RAPN, while SP-RAPN might be associated with a marginally shorter length of hospital stay and less blood loss.