Textbook of Robotic Liver Surgery, 2025_ Original PDF

After the initial and slow diffusion of minimally invasive approaches in liver surgery, laparoscopy is now being implemented worldwide. This process has accelerated after several articles that demonstrated the superiority of laparoscopy over the open approach with regard to short-term outcomes. Previously, the adaptation and diffusion of LLS was much slower compared to other general surgical specialties. The challenge of controlling severe bleeding, the risk of gas embolism, the steep learning curve, and the uncertainty about oncological outcomes were barriers to implementing LLS. Today, laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) is considered safe and feasible. The same evolution is also seen in the diffusion of robotic liver surgery (RLS). The first report of robotic liver resection was published in 2003. The introduction of RLS has been very slow compared to other subspecialties. This can be attributed to the complexity of minimally invasive liver surgery and the steep learning curve to overcome it. Furthermore, the lack of tools for parenchymal dissection seems to have been a barrier for many surgeons to undertake RLS. Today, robotic liver surgery is in its early stages and is limited to a few high-volume centers. Furthermore, data on the performance of RLS are still scarce and the reproducibility of the performance is still controversial. This textbook, by bringing together contributions from renowned robotic liver surgeons from Europe, Asia, and the Americas, provides readers with a useful overview of the current state of RLS. The editors will collaborate with a professional medical illustrator specializing in minimally invasive liver surgery to provide readers with a visual experience of the most important surgical steps.