Single-Incision Robotic Colectomy (SIRC) case series: initial experience at a single center

Laparoscopic colectomy has been associated with favorable outcomes when compared to open colectomy. Single-Incision Robotic Colectomy (SIRC) is a novel procedure hypothesized to improve upon conventional three-port laparoscopic colectomy. We hereby present and analyze our institution's initial experience with SIRC. We performed a retrospective review of 59 patients who underwent SIRC between May 2010 and September 2013, attempting to identify factors associated with conversion rate and postoperative complication rate. Our study included 34 males (57.6 %) and 25 females (42.4 %). The mean age was 60.3 years (range 29-92 years), and the mean BMI was 26.6 kg/m(2) (range 14.9-39.7 kg/m(2)). We identified 31 right hemicolectomies (53.4 %), 20 sigmoid colectomies (34.5 %), 5 left hemicolectomies (1.7 %), 2 low anterior resections (3.5 %), and 1 total colectomy (1.7 %). The overall median operative time was 188 min with an interquartile range of 79 min. Surgical indications included diverticulitis (n = 23, 39.0 %), benign colonic mass (n = 18, 30.5 %), colon cancer (n = 16, 27.1 %), familial adenomatous polyposis (n = 1, 1.7 %), and Crohn's disease (n = 1, 1.7 %). There were four conversions to open procedure (6.8 %), three conversions to multiport robotic procedure (5.1 %), and one conversion to single-port laparoscopic procedure (1.7 %). Reasons for conversions include difficulty mobilizing the colon and robotic equipment malfunction. Conversions were associated with both higher complication rates (62.5 vs 25.5 %, p = 0.035) and longer LOS (7.4 vs 4.0 days, p = 0.0003). Postoperative complications occurred in 16 of the 59 cases (27.1 %). Higher BMI was the only significant risk factor for postoperative complications. The overall median LOS was 4 +/- A 2 days, while the median estimated blood loss was 100 +/- A 90 ml. Our experience has shown that SIRC can be a safe and feasible procedure for both benign and malignant disease. Patient selection is the key to improving surgical outcomes in SIRC.