Abstract
Laparoscopic liver surgery is gaining in interest, especially for the management of patients with single lesions, ≤5cm, located in liver segments two to six. Preliminary results of case-control studies have demonstrated at least similar outcomes between the laparoscopic and open approaches. In parallel, robotic liver surgery is also performed more and more often, and in an always-growing number of centers. The robotic approach includes a three-dimensional vision, and the use of instruments with high degrees of freedom. These technical advantages are expected to allow more extreme and safer minimally invasive liver surgery, including the resection of lesions located high and posterior in the liver, a better node dissection, and safer hepatico-jejunostomy. However, more investigations are needed in the field, and the aim of the present study was to review the current literature and the available evidence regarding the use of the robotic approach for liver surgery. We also speculate on the future developments, which might contribute to further establish the robot.
