Featured Publications

The impact of a dedicated operating room team on robotic transplant program growth and fellowship training

Hill AL, Scherer MD, Kiani A, et al.

Clinical Transplantation. 2023;37:e15103.

A dedicated robotic transplant operating-room team was associated with increased case volume and complexity, shorter room turnaround times, and substantially greater fellow participation at the console.

The importance of robotic surgery training in HPB fellowship: a survey of the 2022 AHPBA fellows

Davidson J, Strand M, Cullinan D, et al.

HPB. 2023;25:1203–1212.

A national survey found strong fellow interest in robotic training but limited access to formal curricula, highlighting opportunities to standardize training and increase console autonomy.

The learning curve of deceased donor liver transplant during fellowship training

Khan AS, Garcia-Aroz S, Vachharajani N, et al.

American Journal of Transplantation. 2021;21:3573–3582.

Objective measures of operative efficiency and outcomes demonstrated progressive improvement during fellowship and supported a learning curve of approximately 45 liver transplants.

Novel method of evaluating liver transplant surgery fellows using objective measures of operative efficiency and surgical outcomes

Yu J, Vachharajani N, Ahmed O, et al.

Journal of the American College of Surgeons. 2021;233:111–118.

Institution-specific learning curves and structured report cards were used to provide fellows with recurring, objective feedback alongside faculty assessment.

Robotic donor nephrectomy: optimizing outcomes beyond the limitations of laparoscopy

Olumba FC, Vachharajani N, Yu J, et al.

Surgical Endoscopy. 2023;37:7511–7519.

Robotic donor nephrectomy showed comparable donor and recipient safety, a shorter postoperative stay, and an estimated learning curve of about 30 cases.

Robotic performance metrics model fellow proficiency in living donor nephrectomy

Davidson JT IV, Clanahan JM, Kiani A, et al.

Journal of Robotic Surgery. 2024;18:271.

Objective console metrics estimated fellow proficiency after 14–18 cases and independence after 32–33 robotic donor nephrectomies without compromising operative efficiency.

Robotic kidney transplant has superior outcomes compared to open kidney transplant: results of a propensity match analysis

Kiani AZ, Hill AL, Vachharajani N, et al.

Surgical Endoscopy. 2025;39:448–458.

In matched cohorts, robotic kidney transplantation was associated with less blood loss, fewer postoperative complications and readmissions, and lower opioid use than open transplantation.

Total robotic liver transplant: the final frontier of minimally invasive surgery

Khan AS, Scherer M, Panni R, et al.

American Journal of Transplantation. 2024.

This technical report describes the first total robotic liver transplant in North America and the first using a whole deceased-donor graft, including preparation, operative strategy, and early outcome.

Robotic living donor nephrectomy is associated with reduced post-operative opioid use compared to hand-assisted laparoscopic approach

Kiani AZ, Progar K, Hill AL, et al.

Surgical Endoscopy. 2024;38:3654–3660.

Among 300 living donors, the robotic approach was associated with substantially lower inpatient opioid requirements and a shorter hospital stay than hand-assisted laparoscopy.

Robotic transplant surgery: broadening the playing field

Khan AS.

Annals of Surgery. 2022;275:e804.

A commentary on the expanding role of robotic surgery in transplant practice, emphasizing thoughtful adoption, technical opportunity, and the primacy of patient safety.

Anesthetic Considerations for Robotic Liver Transplantation

Dutta S, Khan AS, Ukeje CC, et al.

Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia. 2025;39:1571–1582.

This review outlines the unique anesthetic considerations for robotic liver transplantation, including patient selection, preoperative assessment, intraoperative monitoring, venovenous bypass, thermoregulation, ventilation, transesophageal echocardiography, and emergency undocking.

Current Landscape of Robotic Training During Transplant Surgery Fellowship: A Survey of 2025-2026 ASTS Fellows and Program Directors

Khan AS, Hampel P, Kadri H, et al.

Journal of Surgical Education. 2026. Article 104020.

A national survey of ASTS fellows and program directors found strong interest in robotic training, increasing confidence with greater exposure, and a need for standardized curricula, console experience, and structured fellowship pathways.

Total Robotic Liver Transplant Using Whole Graft with Variant Donor Arterial and Biliary Anatomy

Lindemann JD, Hill AL, Chapman WC, Doyle MBM, Khan AS.

American Journal of Transplantation. 2026.

This technical report describes total robotic liver transplantation using a whole graft with variant donor arterial and biliary anatomy, highlighting operative planning, reconstruction strategy, and the feasibility of complex robotic graft implantation.

Robotic Liver Transplant: Current Evidence, Technical Nuances and Potential Pitfalls

Khan AS, Lindemann J, Magistri P, et al.

Liver Transplantation. 2026.

A comprehensive review of robotic liver transplantation summarizing current evidence, expert technical guidance, pitfalls, and implementation considerations, including the need for experience at high-volume centers and structured training pathways.

Minimally Invasive Surgery in Liver Transplantation

Ganguli S, Khan AS, Wang Y, Cheah YL.

Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America. 2026;35:611–640.

This review examines minimally invasive approaches in liver transplantation, including living donor hepatectomy and robotic recipient procedures, and discusses current evidence, technical advantages, and limitations of broader adoption.

Robotic kidney autotransplantation with extracorporeal arterial and venous reconstruction for complex ureteral stricture: a technical note

Kiani AZ, Hill AL, Chaparro Zaraza DF, Scherer M, Hampel P, Doyle MB, Khan AS.

Rev Col Bras Cir. 2026;53:e2026003626.

A technical note describing robotic kidney autotransplantation with extracorporeal arterial and venous reconstruction for a complex ureteral stricture, demonstrating a feasible minimally invasive option for selected patients requiring advanced reconstruction.

National comparison of outcomes after robotic kidney transplantation and open kidney transplantation

Abreu P et al.

Journal of Robotic Surgery. 2026.

Recommendations from the 2024 Minimally Invasive Organ Transplant Consensus Conference – MIOT.CC

The MIOT.CC Collaborative; Broering DC; Benedetti E

Annals of Surgery. 2025.

Predictive Capacities of a Machine Learning Decision Tree Model Created to Analyse Feasibility of an Open or Robotic Kidney Transplant

Martinino A et al.

International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery. 2024.

Single-center retrospective assessment of robotic-assisted simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplants: Exploring clinical utility

Spaggiari M et al.

American Journal of Transplantation. 2024.

Robotic kidney transplantation from deceased donors: a single center experience

Spaggiari M et al.

American Journal of Transplantation. 2023.

Simultaneous Robotic-Assisted Bilateral Native Nephrectomy and Kidney Transplantation for Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease in Recipients With High Body Mass Index: Report of 2 Cases

Spaggiari M et al.

Transplantation Proceedings. 2022.

Robotic-assisted placement of hepatic artery infusion pump for the treatment of colorectal liver metastases: Role of indocyanine green (with video)

Spaggiari M et al.

Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases International. 2021.

Robotic Kidney Transplant: The Modern Era Technical Revolution

Tzvetanov IG et al.

Transplantation. 2022.

Simultaneous robotic kidney transplantation and bariatric surgery for morbidly obese patients with end-stage renal failure

Spaggiari M et al.

American Journal of Transplantation. 2020.

Robotic Assisted Living Donor Nephrectomies: A Safe Alternative to Laparoscopic Technique for Kidney Transplant Donation

Spaggiari M et al.

Annals of Surgery. 2020.

Robotic kidney transplantation in the obese patient: 10-year experience from a single center

Tzvetanov IG et al.

American Journal of Transplantation. 2020.

The utility of robotic assisted pancreas transplants: a single center retrospective study

Spaggiari M et al.

Transplant International. 2019.

Minimally invasive, robot-assisted procedure for kidney transplantation among morbidly obese: Positive outcomes at 5 years post-transplant

Spaggiari M et al.

Clinical Transplantation. 2018.

Robotic Pancreas Transplantation

Spaggiari M et al.

Gastroenterology Clinics of North America. 2018.

Robotic pancreas transplantation in a type 1 diabetic patient with morbid obesity: A case report

Yeh CC et al.

Medicine. 2017.

Minimally invasive robotic kidney transplantation for obese patients previously denied access to transplantation

Oberholzer J et al.

American Journal of Transplantation. 2013.

Renal artery aneurysm in robotic donor nephrectomy: a case report

Tzvetanov I et al.

Experimental and Clinical Transplantation. 2012.

Robot-assisted right lobe donor hepatectomy

Giulianotti PC et al.

Transplant International. 2012.

Evolution of robotic-assisted kidney transplant: successes and barriers to overcome

Matthew AN et al.

Current Opinion in Urology. 2021.

Prospective Nonrandomized Comparison Between Open and Robot-Assisted Kidney Transplantation: Analysis of Midterm Functional Outcomes

Maheshwari R et al.

Journal of Endourology. 2020.

Access to robotic assisted kidney transplant for recipients: a systematic review and call for reporting standards

Malinzak L et al.

Journal of Robotic Surgery. 2024.

Robotic Surgery for the Reconstruction of Transplant Ureteral Strictures

Kim S et al.

Urology. 2020.

Revolutionizing Organ Transplantation With Robotic Surgery

Broering DC et al.

Annals of Surgery. 2024.

Robotic living donor hepatectomy is associated with superior outcomes for both the donor and the recipient compared with laparoscopic or open - A single-center prospective registry study of 3448 cases

Raptis DA et al.

American Journal of Transplantation. 2024.

Robotic-assisted kidney transplantation

Tzvetanov I et al.

Surgical Clinics of North America. 2013.

"First-in-human" totally robotic orthotopic heart transplant

Khaliel FH et al.

Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. 2025.

Robot-assisted kidney transplantation: the European experience

A. Breda et al.

European Urology. 2018.

Robotic surgery and liver transplantation: a single-center experience of 501 robotic donor hepatectomies

M. Schulze et al.

Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases International. 2022.

Robot-assisted cardiac surgery

I. Norihiko et al.

Annals of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2015.

Robotic-assisted lung transplantation: first in man

D. Emerson et al.

Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. 2024.

Robotic Bladder Autotransplantation: Preclinical Studies in Preparation for First-in-human Bladder Transplant

Nassiri N et al.

Journal of Urology. 2023.

Outcomes of Fully Robotic Recipient Living Donor Liver Transplant in Relation to the Open Approach

Broering DC et al.

Transplantation. 2024.

Robot-assisted repair of ureteral stricture

Xu MY et al.

Journal of Robotic Surgery. 2024.

Management of Renal Transplant Ureteral Strictures: Versatility of a Robotic-Assisted Approach

Siddiqui HU et al.

Journal of Endourology. 2025.

Feasibility of simultaneous donor nephrectomy and kidney transplantation using a shared single-port robotic platform

Siddiqui HU et al.

Journal of Robotic Surgery. 2026.

Single-port extraperitoneal robotic kidney transplantation: early experience of novel technique

Chavali JS et al.

BJU International. 2025.

Single Port Robotic Kidney Autotransplantation: Initial Case Series and Description of Technique

Kaouk J et al.

Urology. 2023.

Minimally-Invasive Radical Nephrectomy and Left-Sided Level II Caval Thrombectomy: A New Combined Technique

Zhang JH et al.

Urology. 2023.

Single-Port Donor Nephrectomy via Modified Pfannenstiel Incision: Initial Preclinical Experience in a Cadaveric Model and Description of Technique

Beksac AT et al.

Journal of Endourology. 2022.

Initial Experience with Single-port Robotic-assisted Kidney Transplantation and Autotransplantation

Kaouk J et al.

European Urology. 2021.

Single port robot-assisted transperitoneal kidney transplant using the SP® surgical system in a pre-clinical model

Garisto J et al.

International Brazilian Journal of Urology. 2020.

Single Port Robotic Extra-peritoneal Dual Kidney Transplantation: Initial Preclinical Experience and Description of the Technique

Eltemamy M et al.

Urology. 2019.

Robotic-assisted kidney transplant: a single center experience with median follow-up of 2.8 years

Ganpule A et al.

World Journal of Urology. 2020.

Robotic repair of Post-Transplant lateral incisional hernias: outcomes in complex hernia management

da Silveira CB et al.

Hernia. 2026.

Living Donor Liver Transplant: Send in the Robots

Halazun KJ et al.

Liver Transplantation. 2020.

Robotic Versus Open Right Lobe Donor Hepatectomy for Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

Broering DC et al.

Liver Transplantation. 2020.

Pioneering fully robotic donor hepatectomy and robotic recipient liver graft implantation - a new horizon in liver transplantation

Broering DC et al.

International Journal of Surgery. 2024.

Robotic liver donor right hepatectomy: A pure, minimally invasive approach

Magistri P et al.

Liver Transplantation. 2017.

Robotic liver transplantation: University of Modena experience

Magistri P et al.

Liver Transplantation. 2026.

Uterus transplantation: robotic surgeon perspective

Fornalik H et al.

Fertility and Sterility. 2018.

Robot-assisted single lung transplantation

Jiao W et al.

Chinese Medical Journal. 2023.

Minimally invasive renal autotransplantation

Sood A et al.

Journal of Surgical Oncology. 2015.

Fully robotic recipient left graft living donor liver transplantation

Broering DC et al.

American Journal of Transplantation. 2025.

Single-port robotic-assisted ureteral reconstruction for management of strictures after renal transplantation

Chen B et al.

American Journal of Transplantation. 2023.

Expanding horizons: the role of robotic surgery in modern transplantation practices

Afrooghe A et al.

Journal of Robotic Surgery. 2025.

Robotic donor hepatectomy: A major breakthrough in living donor liver transplantation

Broering D et al.

American Journal of Transplantation. 2022.

Robotic assisted kidney transplantation in grafts with multiple vessels: single center experience

Kishore TA et al.

International Urology and Nephrology. 2020.

Robotic Lung Transplantation: Feasibility, Initial Experience, and 3-Year Outcomes

Emerson D et al.

Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2025.

Comparison of surgical outcomes and learning curve for robotic versus laparoscopic living donor hepatectomy: A retrospective cohort study

Kim NR, Han DH, Choi GH, et al.

International Journal of Surgery. 2022;108:107000.

A retrospective cohort study comparing robotic and laparoscopic living donor hepatectomy, including perioperative outcomes and learning-curve characteristics.

Safety and Feasibility Report of Robotic-assisted Left Lateral Sectionectomy for Pediatric Living Donor Liver Transplantation: A Comparative Analysis of Learning Curves and Mastery Achieved With the Laparoscopic Approach

Troisi RI, Elsheikh Y, Alnemary Y, et al.

Transplantation. 2021;105(5):1044–1051.

A comparative analysis evaluating safety, feasibility, and learning curves for robotic-assisted left lateral sectionectomy in pediatric living donor liver transplantation.

Extended criteria donors for robotic right hepatectomy: A propensity score matched analysis

Varghese CT, Chandran B, Gopalakrishnan U, et al.

J Hepatobiliary Pancreat Sci. 2022;29(8):874–883.

A propensity score-matched analysis examining the feasibility and outcomes of robotic right donor hepatectomy in extended-criteria living donors.

Hepatic Duct Division During Robotic Living Donor Hepatectomy: A Comparison Between the Novel Triple C (Clip-Clamp-Cut) and the Cut-Suture Techniques

Soin AS, Yadav KS, Valappil F, et al.

Journal of Transplantation. 2024;2024:8955970.

A comparison of two techniques for hepatic duct division during robotic living donor hepatectomy, focused on technical execution and biliary outcomes.

Robotic Approach to Paediatric Gastrointestinal Diseases: A Systematic Review

Duhoky R, Claxton H, Piozzi GN, Khan JS.

Children. 2024;11(3):273.

A systematic review of robotic approaches to pediatric gastrointestinal surgery, included as related robotic surgery literature.

Robotic and laparoscopic right lobe living donation compared to the open approach: A multicenter study on 1194 donor hepatectomies

Troisi RI, Cho HD, Giglio MC, et al.

Liver Transplantation. 2024;30(5):484–492.

A multicenter study comparing robotic, laparoscopic, and open right-lobe living donor hepatectomy across 1,194 donor operations.

Enhancing Kidney Transplantation Outcomes Through Robotic-Assisted Paired Kidney Exchange: A Case Report

Turra V, et al.

Case Reports in Transplantation. 2026;2026:9302274.

A case report describing robotic-assisted kidney transplantation within a paired kidney exchange pathway.

Robotic-Assisted Retroperitoneal Necrosectomy and Debridement (RAND): Improving Surgical Outcomes in Necrotizing Pancreatitis Using Innovative Approaches

Lovasik BP, Madrian E, Scherer MD, Doyle MB, Chapman WC, Khan AS.

The American Surgeon. 2026;92(1):286–290.

A brief case series describing robotic-assisted retroperitoneal necrosectomy and debridement after failure of the step-up approach for necrotizing pancreatitis.

Robotic kidney transplantation with deceased donor grafts: a comparative analysis of outcomes following donation after brain death and donation after circulatory death

Maffei R, Kadri H, Khomiak A, Hansen K, Yoeli D, LaRiviere WB, et al.

Journal of Robotic Surgery. 2026;20(1).

A single-center comparative analysis of robotic kidney transplantation using deceased-donor grafts from donation after brain death and donation after circulatory death.

The rebirth of pancreas transplantation: an innovative, fully robotic, reproducible surgical technique

Abreu P, Kadri H, Zaragoza S, Guerra G, Ortigosa-Goggins M, Nguyen MC, Khan AS, et al.

BMC Surgery. 2026;26:545.

A contemporary review and technical description of a fully robotic, reproducible pancreas transplantation approach.

Improved outcomes with minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy in patients with dilated pancreatic ducts: A prospective study

Cos H, LeCompte M, Srinivasa S, Rodriguez JZ, Woolsey C, Williams G, Patel S, Khan AS, Fields RC, Doyle MB, Chapman WC, Strasberg SM, Hawkins WG, Hammill C, Sanford DE.

Surgical Endoscopy. 2022;36(5):3100–3109.

A prospective study evaluating outcomes of minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy in patients with dilated pancreatic ducts.

An objective approach to evaluate novice robotic surgeons using a combination of kinematics and stepwise cumulative sum (CUSUM) analyses

Lyman WB, Passeri M, Murphy K, Siddiqui I, Khan AS, Iannitti DA, Martinie JB, Baker EH, Vrochides D.

Surgical Endoscopy. 2021;35(6):2765–2772.

An objective evaluation framework for novice robotic surgeons using robotic kinematics and stepwise cumulative-sum learning-curve analysis.

A novel assessment model for teaching robot-assisted living donor nephrectomy in abdominal transplant surgery fellowship

Davidson JT, Clanahan JM, Vachharajani N, Yu J, Rice TC, Cullinan DR, Martens GR, Olumba F, Lee A, Matson SC, Scherer MD, Doyle MB, Wellen JR, Khan AS.

The American Journal of Surgery. 2023;225(2):420–424.

A pilot assessment model combining structured faculty evaluation with objective robotic performance metrics to support progressive autonomy and competency in robot-assisted living donor nephrectomy during transplant fellowship.