Background: Costs and a low total number of cases may be obstacles to the successful implementation of a paediatric robotic surgery programme. The aim of this study was to evaluate a decade of paediatric robotic surgery and to reflect upon factors for success and to consider obstacles.
Materials and methods: All children operated on with robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery between 2006 and 2016 were included in a retrospective, single-institutional study in Lund, Sweden.
Results: A total of 152 children underwent robotic surgery during the study time with the most frequent procedures being fundoplication (n = 55) and pyeloplasty (n = 53). Procedure times decreased significantly during the study period. Overall, 18 (12%) of the operations were converted to open surgery, and seven (5%) patients required a reoperation.
Conclusions: Despite a low volume of surgery, we have successfully introduced robotic paediatric surgery in our department. Our operative times and conversion rates are continuously decreasing.
Keywords: abdominal; digestive system; kidney.
© 2022 The Authors. The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.