Suprapubic approach for robotic complete mesocolic excision in right colectomy: Oncologic safety and short-term outcomes of an original technique

Right-sided colon cancer has a worse prognosis than left-sided colon cancer. Complete mesocolic excision (CME) with central vessels ligation (CVL) reduces local recurrence, but is technically demanding, particularly with a laparoscopic approach. Aim of this study is to describe a new robotic approach to right colectomy with CME and CVL and to report oncologic safety and short term outcomes. Twenty consecutive patients were included. All patients had a right colon adenocarcinoma and underwent right colectomy with a suprapubic approach. Surgery was realized with the Da Vinci Xi® system and all trocars were placed along a horizontal line 3–6 cm above the pubis. CME with CVL was realized in all the patients. Data analysed were: duration of surgery, conversions to open surgery, intraoperative and postoperative complication by Clavien Dindo classification, margins of resections, length of specimen and number of lymph nodes retrieved. Patients median age was 69 years, median body mass index was 27 kg/m2. Median operative time was 249 min, blood loss was negligible, no conversions to open or laparoscopic surgery occurred. Median hospital stay was six days; two postoperative grade IIIa Clavien–Dindo complications occurred, no 30-days postoperative death was registered. Resection margins were negative in all patients; median tumour diameter was 3.6 cm, median specimen length was 40 cm, median number of harvested lymph nodes was 40. Robotic right colectomy with CME using a suprapubic approach is a feasible and safe technique that allows for an extended lymphadenectomy and provides high quality surgical specimens.