Costs–benefits of robot-assisted colorectal surgery: a different perspective

The costs of robot-assisted surgery (RAS) still represent a critical issue. Kulaylat et al. reported a propensity-matched study to compare the outcomes of colorectal surgery between a robotic and a laparoscopic group, concluding that RAS was burdened by higher costs. However, authors did not mention what da Vinci system, Si or Xi, they used and this could be crucial, as recently data published by our group on rectal resections showed that the use of the da Vinci Xi and the surgeon’s increased experience could improve the results and significantly reduce the costs of RAS.