Findings from a recent study featured in the Journal of Urology revealed that robotic inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombectomy was as effective as standard open IVC thrombectomy. 

The study reviewed data from 28 research and meta-analyzed them. Among a total of 1,375 patients, 936 underwent open surgery and 439 underwent robotic IVC thrombectomy to treat their kidney and inferior vena cava cancer. The inferior vena cava (IVC) is the largest vein in the human body which returns blood from the kidneys to the heart. During surgery, both the tumour and damaged kidney are removed.

Results showed that just 18% of patients with robotic surgery needed transfusions, compared to 64% of patients with open surgery. Similarly, only 5% of patients undergoing robotic surgery experienced complications like hemorrhage, compared to 36.7% of patients undergoing open thrombectomy. 

Thus, the results demonstrate that the robotic approach was associated with fewer blood transfusions and fewer complications proving Robotic IVC thrombectomy is a very safe and successful alternative strategy and that further studies are necessary. (ScienceDaily, 19 August 2022)