The robotic surgical system was developed to overcome the disadvantages of conventional laparoscopic surgery. The use of robots in liver surgery was not well evaluated. This article aimed at reviewing robotic partial hepatectomy to conventional laparoscopic or open partial hepatectomy in terms of perioperative, oncologic, and healthcare costs for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Studies were ide...

BACKGROUND Surgical resection is regarded as the only curative option for resectable oesophageal cancer, but pulmonary complications occurring in more than half of patients after open oesophagectomy are a great concern. We assessed whether minimally invasive oesophagectomy reduces morbidity compared with open oesophagectomy. METHODS We did a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled tria...

BACKGROUND Traditional anterior and posterior approaches to the thoracolumbar spine are associated with significant morbidity. In an effort to eliminate these drawbacks, minimally invasive retropleural approaches have been developed. OBJECTIVE To demonstrate the feasibility and clinical experience of a minimally invasive lateral retropleural approach to the thoracolumbar spine. METHODS Seve...

TULAA or Transumbilical Laparoscopic Assisted Appendicectomy is a minimally invasive technique described by Pelosi in 1992 for the removal of the inflamed appendix. Its main advantage is the possibility of exploring the peritoneal cavity and performing a simple and safe extracorporeal appendicectomy. Since its first description, different authors reported their experience with such technique. T...

Our aim was to assess the long-term survival advantage associated with the laparoscopic approach for colon cancer resection in an Irish minimally invasive unit. Between January 2005 and December 2006, 154 patients underwent resection for colon cancer. 108 underwent a laparoscopic resection, with a conversion rate of 11%. The overall 5 year survival was 71.4%. The overall 5 year survival rate fo...

Background: There is a rise in incidence of esophageal carcinoma due to increasing incidence of adenocarcinoma. Probably the only curative option to date is the use of neoadjuvant therapy followed by surgical resection. Traditional open esophageal resection is associated with a high morbidity and mortality rate. Furthermore, this approach involves long intensive care unit stay, in-hospital stay...

The incidence of ureteral strictures has increased worldwide owing to the widespread use of laparoscopic and endourologic procedures. Midureteral strictures can be managed by either an endoscopic approach or surgical reconstruction, including open or minimally invasive (laparoscopic/robotic) techniques. Minimally invasive surgical ureteral reconstruction is gaining in popularity in the manageme...

OBJECT Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) is being increasingly used for spinal fusion. There are few data regarding its clinical safety, effectiveness, and clinical outcome when applied on an absorbable collagen sponge (ACS) in conjunction with allograft for transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). METHODS Seventy-four consecutive patients undergoing TLIF for dege...

Abstract Growing evidence supports the use of nephron-sparing techniques for the management of appropriately selected renal masses up to 7 cm. Compared with the surgical standard of open partial nephrectomy, minimally invasive approaches have demonstrated equivalent cancer control with reduced patient morbidity. Robot assistance has the potential to provide patients and physicians greater acces...

Minimally invasive surgery has influenced the approach used in a variety of operations. Laparoscopic surgery is an accepted modality for the treatment of colon cancer, resulting in superior short term functional outcome and equivalent survival when compared with open surgery (Veldkamp et al., 2004; Nelson et al., 2004). However, minimally invasive rectal cancer surgery is still a matter of grea...