Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Nov 27, 2026; 18(11): 125536
Published online Nov 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.125536
Published online Nov 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.125536
Robotic surgery in gastrointestinal emergency settings: A systematic review
Pietro Fransvea, Valeria Fico, Marta Di Grezia, Giuseppe Brisinda, General, Digestive and Emergency Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Roma 00168, Italy
Pietro Fransvea, Aurora Cartabellotta, Giuseppe Brisinda, Translational Medicine and Surgery, Catholic School of Medicine, Roma 00168, Lazio, Italy
Author contributions: Fransvea P contributed to conceptualization, methodology, data curation, formal analysis, writing-original draft, writing-reviewing and editing; Fico V contributed to data curation, formal analysis; Di Grezia M contributed to investigation, methodology, formal analysis, data curation, writing-reviewing and editing; Cartabellotta A contributed to data curation, formal analysis; Brisinda G contributed to conceptualization, methodology, data curation, formal analysis, writing-original draft, writing-reviewing and editing.
AI contribution statement: During the preparation of this work, the authors did not use any AI tools to improve the language and readability of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no competing interests. All authors meet the criteria for authorship and have participated in writing this manuscript. Moreover, none of the authors of the study have received subsidies from Public Bodies or from any other sources for the execution of this study.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Corresponding author: Giuseppe Brisinda, MD, Professor, General, Digestive and Emergency Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Agostino Gemelli 8, Roma 00168, Italy. giuseppe.brisinda@policlinicogemelli.it
Received: July 13, 2026
Revised: August 22, 2026
Accepted: September 18, 2026
Published online: November 27, 2026
Processing time: 125 Days and 22.1 Hours
Revised: August 22, 2026
Accepted: September 18, 2026
Published online: November 27, 2026
Processing time: 125 Days and 22.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Robotic surgery is an emerging option in emergency gastrointestinal surgery, demonstrating feasibility and safety in carefully selected, hemodynamically stable patients. Current evidence supports its use mainly for acute cholecystitis, while data for other indications remain limited. High costs, logistical barriers, and low-quality evidence currently preclude routine adoption.