Role of Robotic Surgery and Artificial Intelligence in the Management of Abdominal Wall Hernias: A Systematic Review

TL;DR

This paper reviews how robotic surgery and artificial intelligence could improve hernia treatment, but more research is needed to overcome current challenges.

Contribution

The paper systematically reviews the current state and potential of robotic surgery and AI in abdominal wall hernia management.

Findings

Robotic surgery offers ergonomic and technical benefits for hernia repair.

Artificial intelligence has potential applications in improving hernia repair outcomes.

Both technologies face challenges that need to be addressed for effective integration.

Abstract

Abdominal wall hernias impact millions of individuals annually. Two rapidly advancing technologies that can significantly enhance hernia management are robotic surgery, with its ergonomic features and technical benefits, and artificial intelligence, renowned for its groundbreaking computational capabilities. Robotic surgery appears to provide numerous advantages for treating both inguinal and ventral hernias, while artificial intelligence has been incorporated in various applications, indicating its potential to improve hernia repair outcomes. Nevertheless, both technologies face several challenges and limitations.

A systematic review was carried out using the PubMed and Scopus databases with the search terms "robotic" AND "abdominal wall hernias" AND "artificial intelligence", resulting in 46 articles reviewed.

This article examines the pros and cons of robotic surgery, explores the potential applications of artificial intelligence, and discusses the hurdles both technologies encounter. Ultimately, it concludes that although these innovations present many benefits, further high-quality research is essential, along with overcoming numerous barriers, for their effective integration into hernia repair procedures.

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