Usefulness of robotic camera control assisted duet laparoscopic gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer

Purpose:The study discusses the usefulness of robotic camera-control-assisted (Soloassist II system) duet laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) in patients with gastric cancer.Materials and Methods: A total of 88 patients (44 in the human-assisted group and 44 in the Soloassist II group) with gastric cancer who underwent LG performed by single surgeon between September 2017 and March 2020 were recruited.This was a retrospective casecontrol study.The cohort was divided into 2 groups: those assisted by humans (HA, n=44) and those assisted by the Soloassist II system (SA, n=44), with exclusion criteria of combined resection and non-compliance.Results: Of the 81 patients, 39 underwent laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) with a human assistant and 42 underwent LDG with the Soloassist II system.There were no statistically significant differences in clinicopathological characteristics between the 2 groups.The only difference was operation time between 2 groups (242.19.10 in HA vs. 215.26.80 in SA, P=0.019).In both HA and SA groups, there were no statistically significant differences in the other parameters.Conclusions: The Soloassist II system can serve as an alternative to traditional humanassisted laparoscopic surgery, particularly in settings facing challenges related to low manpower, such as in Korean surgical residencies.The efficacy of robotic camera control in dual LG for patients with gastric cancer has been sufficiently demonstrated, highlighting its viability as a standalone solution.