Inguinal repair via robotic assisted technique: Literature review

Abstract

Introduction: Inguinal hernia is one of the most frequent surgical diseases. Currently, with the advantages of minimally invasive surgery, new questions arise: what will be the best approach for correction of inguinal hernia? Is there real benefit to the robotic approach? Objective: To compile results of the published studies that used the robot-assisted technique in the repair of inguinal hernia, analyzing its limitations, complications and comparing it with those of the pre-existing techniques. Method: The review was performed from the Medline database with the following descriptors: (inguinal hernia repair OR hernioplasty OR hernia) AND (robot OR robotic OR robotic assisted) being retrieved 391 articles. After verification of the titles and abstracts, we identified eight series of cases congruent with the objectives of this review. Three reviewers participated in the extraction and selection of results. Results: Comparative studies showed an increase in surgical time in relation to the open and videolaparoscopic approach. The complications present similar rates with the other repair routes. Conclusion: This technique has been shown to be effective for the correction of inguinal hernia, but the benefits of using robotic surgery are unclear. So, there is a need for randomized studies comparing laparoscopic to robotic repair.