Evaluating the Feasibility of Transanal Specimen Extraction in Robotic-Assisted Colon Resection

Abstract Minimally-invasive robotic-assisted surgery has been shown to be associated with significantly shorter length of stay, decreased pain, and decreased complications compared to open surgery. In studies of laparoscopic colorectal surgery, natural orifice specimen extraction (NOSE) has been shown to further reduce postoperative pain and length of stay by minimizing incision size. We sought to evaluate the feasibility of transanal specimen extraction in robotic-assisted partial colectomy by evaluating the length of surgery, hospital length of stay, days to return of bowel function, and rates of significant complications. Our initial data indicate that this method is safe for patients undergoing robotic-assisted partial colectomy for a variety of indications and that it can contribute to decreased postoperative pain, time to return of bowel function, and length of hospital stay without significantly increasing the rate of postoperative complications. Seven similar case reports and series of robotic-assisted colorectal surgery with transrectal specimen extraction were found in a literature search.