Propensity score-matching analysis for single-site robotic cholecystectomy versus single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A retrospective cohort study

Background: Although the single-site robotic cholecystectomy(SSRC) has been performed with expectation of overcoming the limitation of single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy(SILC), there exists a lack of comparison studies involving SILC and SSRC. This study aimed to analyze surgical outcomes of single-site robotic cholecystectomy and single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy by propensity score-matching analysis. Materials and methods: From March 2009 to August 2015, 290 consecutive patients underwent SSRC or SILC at Severance Hospital, Seoul, Korea. Potential confounding factors for operative outcomes were adjusted by propensity score-matching analysis. One hundred four patients from each group were evaluated for perioperative outcomes and compared for a retrospective cohort study. Results: There was no difference in potential cofounders such as gender, age, body mass index (BMI), and perioperative cholecystitis-related symptoms between two groups after propensity score-matching. However, mean operation time was shorter (56.69 +/- 13.65 vs. 101.57 +/- 27.05 min; p < 0.001) and median bleeding amount during surgery was less (0 (0-50) vs. 0 (0-100) mL; p < 0.001) in the SILC group. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding conversion to conventional multiport cholecystectomy. Bile leakage due to perforation of the gallbladder during surgery was more common in the SILC group (6.7% vs. 17.3%; p = 0.019). Moreover, bile spillage rate was significantly increased in conjunction with a higher BMI in the SILC group, whereas BMI did not affect the bile leakage rate in the SSRC group. Conclusions: SSRC is not superior to SILC except regarding bile spillage incidence. However, the technical stability and clinically undetected advantages of SSRC are expected to prompt surgeons to perform this more reliable procedure.