Robotic liver resection for malignancy: Current status, oncologic outcomes, comparison to laparoscopy, and future applications

Abstract

Utilization of robotic techniques for resection of the liver is slowly gaining acceptance in specific situations and is now being applied to more challenging endeavors, such as major hepatectomy for cancer. This review provides a summary of robotic applications in liver surgery, with specific attention perioperative outcomes, oncologic outcomes, cost, and comparison to conventional laparoscopic techniques of liver resection. We also discuss future applications of robotic-assisted liver surgery.