Robots and Hysterectomy: More Expensive but Not Necessarily Better

Use of robotically assisted laparoscopy for benign hysterectomy has risen rapidly, but costs are higher without clear clinical benefits over traditional laparoscopy.

Since the FDA's 2005 approval of the robotic surgical platform for use in gynecologic procedures, rates of robotic surgery for hysterectomy have risen dramatically. Researchers used the Perspective national database from 2007 to 2010 in a population-based analysis of uptake, outcomes, and cost of robotically assisted hysterectomy (11,000 cases) compared with abdominal (123,000 cases), vaginal (55,000 cases), and traditional laparoscopic approaches (76,000 cases) at 441 hospitals.

During the study period, abdominal hysterectomy rates declined from 54% to 41% and vaginal hysterectomy rates fell from 22% to 20% of overall hysterectomies. In contrast, laparoscopic hysterectomy rates rose from 24% to 30% and robotically assisted hysterectomy rate…

Reviewing Author

Brent Seibel, MD

Robots and Hysterectomy: More Expensive but Not Necessarily Better

Topics

Reviewing Author