title: Robotic-assisted pancreas transplantation: where are we today?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the current status of robotic-assisted pancreas transplantation as a treatment option for diabetic patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pancreas transplant recipients continue to suffer high rates of technical complications, including wound infections, fascial dehiscence, and postoperative ventral hernias. Robotic technology can potentially contribute to decreasing these dangerous complications and improve the postoperative course of pancreas transplantation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current literature on both robotic pancreas and robotic kidney transplant were reviewed in order to determine feasibility, safety, and efficacy of robotic pancreas transplantation. To date, only three cases of robotic pancreas transplantation, two of which were solely pancreas transplantation and one combined pancreas-kidney transplantation, have been reported in a single publication by an Italian group. Their preliminary data show that robotic pancreas transplantation is feasible and well tolerated. The authors believe that robotic pancreas transplantation could have a prominent role in lone pancreas transplantation performed in overweight recipients, in parallel to their experience with fully robotic kidney transplant in morbidly obese candidates. Broader experience with this innovative approach will be necessary to establish if robotic pancreas transplantation will be a beneficial option for diabetic patients needing beta-cell replacement.
authors.affiliation: Division of Transplantation, University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tzvetanov
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: D'Amico
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bejarano-Pineda
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Benedetti
mesh_terms: D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D016035:Pancreas Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*