En-block butterfly excision of posterior compartment deep endometriosis: The first experience with the new surgical robot Hugo™ RAS

Abstract

Background: Minimally invasive surgery is the gold standard treatment for deep endometriosis when medical management fails. In selected cases, such as when bowel or urinary tract are involved, robotic assisted surgery can be useful due to its characteristics of high dexterity and manoeuvrability. This is the first case of robotic en-bloc excision of posterior compartment deep endometriosis performed with the new HugoTM RAS system. Objective: The purpose of this video article is to show for the first time the feasibility of bowel surgery for deep endometriosis with this new robotic device. Materials and methods: A 24-years-old woman affected by severe dysmenorrhea, chronic pelvic pain, dyschezia and dyspareunia underwent to deep endometriosis excision using the new robotic platform HugoTM RAS system at the Unit of Gynaecological Oncology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy. Main outcome measures: Intraoperative data, docking set up, post-operative outcomes up to three months follow up were evaluated. Results: The surgical procedure was carried out without intra-operative or post-operative complications, operative time (OT) was 200 minutes, while docking time was 8 minutes. No system errors or faults in the robotic arms were registered. Post-operative complete disease-related symptoms relief was reported. Conclusion: According to our results, the introduction of this new robotic platform in the surgical management of deep endometriosis seems to be feasible, especially in advanced cases. However, further studies are needed to demonstrate the benefits of this surgical system and the advantages of robotic surgery compared to laparoscopy in this subset of patients.