This study aimed to compare the perioperative costs of robotic hepatectomy with open hepatectomy for the treatment of liver tumors. The researchers followed 370 patients who underwent either robotic or open hepatectomy for both benign and malignant liver tumors. They collected and analyzed demographic, perioperative, cost, and payment data.

The results showed that the robotic group had several advantages over the open group, including significantly lower estimated blood loss, smaller lesion size, shorter length of hospital stay, and decreased 90-day mortality. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of cost variables.

Interestingly, the open group received significantly higher reimbursement and profit compared to the robotic group, despite the robotic platform being perceived as more expensive.

Overall, the study suggests that robotic hepatectomy is associated with improved clinical outcomes and comparable costs to open hepatectomy. The findings highlight the potential benefits of the robotic approach for liver tumor surgery and challenge the perception of it being more expensive.