The study aimed to compare the cost of robotic hepatectomy with open hepatectomy in the context of hepatobiliary tumors. The researchers analyzed data from a prospectively collected database of robotic and open hepatectomy cases from January 2014 to May 2019. They focused on economic parameters, including total, variable, fixed direct, and fixed indirect costs for each type of resection.

The results showed that patients who underwent robotic hepatectomy had a significantly shorter length of hospital stay compared to those who had open hepatectomy. However, the total costs for robotic and open hepatectomy were found to be similar. Hospital charges for robotic hepatectomy were lower than for open hepatectomy, and payments received after robotic hepatectomy were also lower than after open hepatectomy.

The extent of robotic hepatectomy correlated with the total cost of each type of resection. Robotic minor hepatectomy had the lowest total cost, while robotic nonanatomical left/right hepatectomy resulted in the highest total cost.

In conclusion, the study suggests that the robotic approach in liver surgery leads to a shorter hospital stay and does not significantly increase the overall cost of healthcare when compared to open hepatectomy. This challenges the perception that the robotic platform results in higher costs and financial burden to the hospital and supports the application of the robotic platform for hepatobiliary tumor treatment.