Restorative resection in robot-assisted versus laparoscopic total mesorectal excision: systematic review and meta-analysis

The surgical treatment of rectal cancer is based on the principle of total mesorectal excision (TME). Owing to its technological advantages, robot-assisted total mesorectal excision (R-TME) is hypothesized to facilitate primary anastomosis more frequently than laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (L-TME). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate whether R-TME is associated with a higher likelihood of restorative surgery compared with L-TME.