Is robotic surgery cost-effective: no

Purpose of review Utilization of robotic surgery has increased dramatically in recent years, but there are significant cost implications to acquisition and utilization of robots. This review will evaluate the cost-effectiveness of using robotics in urologic surgery. Recent findings This study will evaluate studies comparing outcomes for open, laparoscopic and robotic procedures as well as costs associated with these procedures. Summary Current studies have not found the robotic approaches to be cost-effective. In order for the robot to be cost-effective, there needs to be an improvement in efficacy over alternative approaches and a decrease in costs of the robot or instrumentation.

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