The evidence behind robot-assisted abdominopelvic surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background Despite recent advancements, the advantage of robotic surgery over other traditional modalities still harbors academic inquiries. We seek to take a recently published high-profile narrative systematic review regarding robotic surgery and add meta-analytic tools to identify further benefits of robotic surgery. Methods Data from the published systematic review were extracted and meta-analysis were performed. A fixed-effect model was used when heterogeneity was not significant (Chi 2 p ≥ 0.05, I 2 ≤ 50%) and a random-effects model was used when heterogeneity was significant (Chi 2 p 50%). Forest plots were generated using RevMan 5.3 software. Results Robotic surgery had comparable overall complications compared to laparoscopic surgery ( p = 0.85), which was significantly lower compared to open surgery (odds ratio 0.68, p = 0.005). Compared to laparoscopic surgery, robotic surgery had fewer open conversions (risk difference − 0.0144, p = 0.03), shorter length of stay (mean difference − 0.23 days, p = 0.01), but longer operative time (mean difference 27.98 min, p