Efficacy of robotic versus laparoscopic hepatectomy in patients with liver tumors, a systematic review protocol Systematic review protocol

Abstract

Introduction: Liver resection remains the most effective method of treating liver tumors. Currently, the laparoscopic approach is considered the gold standard compared to the open approach; however, the emergence of robotic surgery offers a new minimally invasive approach option with apparently better results. The objective of this systematic review is to assess the benefits of robotic hepatectomy versus laparoscopic hepatectomy in the resection of liver tumors.

Methodology: This systematic review will include comparative, cohort, case-control studies with prospective or retrospective data collection. Study participants will be patients diagnosed with benign or malignant liver tumors, including children and adolescents, noncirrhotic or compensated cirrhotic, undergoing robotic hepatectomy and laparoscopic hepatectomy procedures. The primary outcome measures are: 1. Estimated blood loss during surgery, 2. Operative time, 3. Laparotomy conversion rate, 4. Intraoperative mortality rate, 5. Morbidity rate (postoperative complications), 6. Post-surgical hospital stay. Electronic searches will be conducted on PubMed, Medline, and ScienceDirect (2010 to present). The Cochrane study risk of bias assessment will be used. The mean differences (MD) and the 95 confidence intervals (CI) will be used as measures of the treatment effect. The evaluation of heterogeneity will be carried out by visual inspection of the funnel diagram. The evaluation of the quality of the evidence and 'Summary of findings' tables will be used by the GRADE test.