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The following is a summary of “Stapled vs. manually sutured bowel anastomosis in robot-assisted radical cystectomy: a single-center retrospective analysis,” published in the April 2025 issue of BMC Urology by Hermans et al. 

Radical cystectomy treats invasive and high-risk bladder cancer. Robot-assisted cystectomy techniques (RARC) offer precision, with bowel anastomosis as a key step. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to compare stapled and manually sutured bowel anastomosis in robot-assisted radical cystectomy. 

They conducted a retrospective study of 92 patients with RARC from March 2021 to November 2023. Bowel anastomosis was stapled in 33 and manually sutured in 59. Outcomes included gastro-intestinal (GI) complications, overall complications, operation duration, hospital stay, readmissions, and recovery metrics. 

The results showed GI complications in 23 patients (25%), with paralytic ileus in 17%. Complication rates were similar between the manually sutured (27%) and stapled (21%) groups (P = 0.530, odds ratio 1.38). The mean operation duration was 300 min for the sutured group and 313 min for the stapled group (P = 0.124). The median hospital stay was 8 days for both groups (P = 0.384). Readmission rates were higher in the sutured group (25% vs. 6%, P = 0.022, odds ratio 5.28), mainly due to non-GI complications. 

Investigators found comparable outcomes between stapled and manually sutured bowel anastomosis in RARC, with no significant increase in complications, operation duration, or hospital stay. Manual suturing proved to be a cost-effective alternative to stapling techniques. 

Source: bmcurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12894-025-01763-1