SynthesisJournal of robotic surgery2026
Minimum caseload for cost-effective robotic-assisted surgery: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Journal of robotic surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Robotic versus laparoscopic low anterior resection for rectal cancer: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of robotic surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Institutional evolution of a robotic otolaryngology program across consecutive da Vinci Si, Xi, and SP platform transitions.Journal of robotic surgery · 2026Article
- Contract architecture and time-to-first public activation of robotic urology programs in Poland: a nationwide open-data linkage study.Journal of robotic surgery · 2026Article
- Reconfiguring robotic surgery in head and neck practice: transition from multi-port to single-port with early clinical outcomes.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) has been increasingly adopted across surgical specialties due to its potential clinical benefits. However, the high fixed and variable costs associated with robotic platforms raise concerns regarding economic sustainability. Procedural volume is frequently cited as a key determinant of cost-effectiveness; however, reported minimum caseload thresholds vary widely across surgical specialties, robotic platforms, and healthcare settings. This systematic review aims to synthesise the available evidence on cost-effectiveness thresholds and annual surgical volumes associated with the economic viability of the da Vinci and Mako robotic systems. Searches were conducted in MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Two independent reviewers performed study selection and data extraction. Studies reporting minimum procedural volume thresholds and/or cost-effectiveness outcomes for da Vinci or Mako robotic systems were included. Results were synthesised descriptively and stratified by surgical specialty and robotic platform. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria, encompassing orthopaedic, urologic, colorectal, and head and neck surgery. Reported minimum procedural volume thresholds varied substantially, ranging from approximately 40 to 300 cases per year. This heterogeneity reflected differences in surgical specialty, robotic platform, study design, economic perspective, and underlying modelling assumptions. Across studies, high-volume centres were more consistently associated with favourable cost-effectiveness profiles, whereas findings in low- and intermediate-volume settings were highly variable and context dependent. The cost-effectiveness of robotic-assisted surgery is strongly influenced by procedural volume but remains highly context dependent. No single minimum caseload threshold can be generalised across surgical specialties or robotic platforms. Reported volume thresholds should therefore be interpreted within specific clinical, organisational, and economic contexts when informing decisions regarding investment in robotic surgical systems.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.