Journal Review in Minimally Invasive Surgery: Robotic Cholecystectomy and Bile Duct Injury

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was introduced approximately 30 years ago and quickly became the gold standard due to multiple benefits over open cholecystectomy. It ushered in the laparoscopic revolution but also increased the number of bile duct injuries. Through the dedicated efforts of many the rate of bile duct injury has been reduced, now mirroring open cholecystectomy. The robotic surgery revolution is well underway and unsurprisingly this technology has been applied to cholecystectomy. Given the devastating nature of bile duct injury and the history of increased injury with the last major shift in operative approach, we examine the current literature on the comparative safety of robotic-assisted cholecystectomy vs. laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

1. Andrew Wright, UW Medical Center – Montlake and Northwest, @andrewswright
2. Nick Cetrulo, UW Medical Center - Northwest, @Trules25
3. Nicole White, UW Medical Center - Northwest
4. Paul Herman, UW General Surgery Resident PGY-3, @paul_herm
5. Ben Vierra, UW General Surgery Resident PGY-2 @benvierra95

Learning objectives:

1. Examine the history of the laparoscopic cholecystectomy and review the efforts to reduce bile duct injury (SAGES Safe Cholecystectomy Task Force and Multi-Society Practice Guideline)
2. Review literature on causes and prevention of bile duct injury
3. Review a recent article on robotic cholecystectomy vs laparoscopic cholecystectomy outcomes
4. Describe precautions that might mitigate expected increase in bile duct injury as a new approach is applied

References
1. https://www.sages.org/publications/guidelines/safe-cholecystectomy-multi-society-practice-guideline/
2. https://www.sages.org/safe-cholecystectomy-program/
3. MacFadyen BV Jr, Vecchio R, Ricardo AE, Mathis CR. Bile duct injury after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The United States experience. Surg Endosc. 1998 Apr;12(4):315-21. doi: 10.1007/s004649900661. PMID: 9543520. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9543520/
4. Keus F, de Jong JA, Gooszen HG, van Laarhoven CJ. Laparoscopic versus open cholecystectomy for patients with symptomatic cholecystolithiasis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Oct 18;(4):CD006231. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006231. PMID: 17054285. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17054285/
5. Way LW, Stewart L, Gantert W, Liu K, Lee CM, Whang K, Hunter JG. Causes and prevention of laparoscopic bile duct injuries: analysis of 252 cases from a human factors and cognitive psychology perspective. Ann Surg. 2003 Apr;237(4):460-9. doi: 10.1097/01.SLA.0000060680.92690.E9. PMID: 12677139; PMCID: PMC1514483. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12677139/
6. Kalata S, Thumma JR, Norton EC, Dimick JB, Sheetz KH. Comparative Safety of Robotic-Assisted vs Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy. JAMA Surg. 2023;158(12):1303–1310. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2023.4389 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37728932/

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