Robot-Assisted Resection of Mesenteric Cysts in Pediatric Patients: a single-centered Retrospective study

Abstract

Abstract Background Mesenteric cysts (MCs) are rare intra-abdominal masses in childhood. Laparoscopic-assisted surgery has become the main procedure for their resection, but robot-assisted surgery has rarely been reported. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively analyze and present our experience with robot-assisted resection of MCs using the da Vinci Xi surgical system and to discuss the technical points. Methods Children diagnosed with abdominal MCs who underwent surgical treatment at the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine between January 2020 and November 2023 were retrospectively analyzed, and clinical data, surgical details, and prognosis of the patients were systematically collected. Results Among 40 patients, a total of 18 underwent robot-assisted surgery and 22 underwent laparoscopic-assisted surgery. In the robot-assisted surgery group, the entire procedure was performed endoscopically, whereas in the laparoscopic surgery group, eight procedures were converted to laparotomy. The operation time of 134.5 minutes for the robot-assisted group was not significantly longer than the 104 minutes for the laparoscopic-assisted surgery group (P > 0.05), but the average length of postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter (P < 0.05). Conclusions Robotic-assisted resection of MCs is safe and feasible and the refinement of the Da Vinci Xi surgical system was much better than that of the conventional laparoscopic equipment, resulting in significantly improved intraoperative and postoperative outcomes.