TTP2.09 Robot-Assisted Surgery for Benign Colorectal Disease – A Single-Site’s Experience

Background The majority of existing literature surrounds robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) for malignant colorectal surgery. However, the benefits of managing complex disease and/or patients with significant comorbidity are transferrable to benign disease. To our knowledge, we present the largest UK case series of RAS for benign colorectal disease from a single NHS site. Methods Retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database for patients undergoing elective RAS for benign colorectal disease between July 2021 and December 2024 at one NHS National Wait Times Hospital. Outcomes include duration of surgery, hospital length-of-stay, 30-day complications, and 90-day mortality. Results 134 patients underwent RAS for benign colorectal disease. Median age was 57 years (range 18-82); median BMI was 28.2 (range 15.5-42.0) and 24 patients (17.9%) had a Charlson Comorbidity Index >2. Duration of surgery in the first 18 months was 330 minutes (range 120-630); this reduced to 253 minutes in the latter 24 months (range 110-600). Median hospital length of stay was 6 days. 8 patients (6%) had major complications involving a repeat operation (Clavien-Dindo Grade III+), 5 of which occurred in the first 3 months suggestive of a surgical learning curve. There have been no episodes of mortality 90-days post-operatively in our series. Conclusions We present the largest case series of RAS for benign colorectal disease from a single-site and identify this as a promising approach for high-risk patients with complex disease. Early outcomes reflect a learning curve, with improvements expected to continue as experience grows.