Which method of distal pancreatectomy is cost-effective among open, laparoscopic, or robotic surgery?

Pancreatic surgery still represents a challenge for surgeons due to its technical difficulty and high postoperative morbidity (1,2). As for other pathologies, the interest for minimally invasive surgery has increased in recent times, including pancreatic surgery. Nowadays, robotic distal pancreatectomy is considered equivalent to open and laparoscopic approaches (3). As of now, whether or not increased intraoperative costs related to robotic surgery are balanced by reduced complications and length of hospital stay has not been demonstrated. The question also remains unanswered as to who could make up for overall hospitalization costs for a patient managed with a robot-assisted approach