The Senhance™ surgical robotic system (“Senhance”) for total hysterectomy in obese patients: a pilot study

This pilot study was aimed to value the feasibility and safety of Senhance Robotic Platform for hysterectomy in obese patients. Ten obese patients (30 < BMI < 40) underwent elective Senhance total extrafascial hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy at the Division of Gynecologic Oncology of “Policlinico A. Gemelli” Foundation, Rome, Italy. Perioperative and postoperative outcomes data were recorded. The median age was 60 years (range 51–75) and the median BMI was 33.3 kg/m2 (range 30.4–38.3). The median uterine weight was 112.5 g (range 77–225). Indication to total hysterectomy was early-stage (FIGO Stage IA) endometrial cancer in 100% of patients. The median operative time (OT) was 110 min (70–200). The median docking time was 10.5 min (5–25). The median estimated blood loss was 100 mL (50–200). No conversions to laparotomy were recorded. No intra- and 30-day postoperative complications were registered. The median ileus was 17 h (12–36) and the median time to discharge was 2 days (1–4). The median VAS scores registered at 2, 4, 12, and 24 h were, respectively, 2 (1–3), 2 (1–3), 4 (1–8), and 3 (1–5). Our study results suggest that Senhance platform could be safe for hysterectomy even in obese patients. More clinical data are needed to determine whether this approach would offer any additional benefits in a new middle line between standard laparoscopy and robotics.