Introduction Although many studies have reported perioperative complications after radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection using robotic and laparoscopic approaches, the risk of perioperative lymphatic complications has not been well identified. The aim of this meta-analysis is to compare the risks of perioperative lymphatic complications after robotic radical hysterectomy and lymph node dissection (RRHND) with laparoscopic radical hysterectomy and lymph node dissection (LRHND) for early uterine cervical cancer.

Methods We searched the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases for studies published up to July 2022 comparing perioperative lymphatic complications after RRHND and LRHND while treating early uterine cervical cancer. Related articles and bibliographies of relevant studies were also checked. Two reviewers independently performed the data extraction.

Results of 19 eligible clinical trials (15 retrospective studies and 4 prospective studies) comprising 3,079 patients were included in this analysis. Only 107 patients (3.48%) had perioperative lymphatic complications, of which the most common was lymphedema (n = 57, 1.85%), followed by symptomatic lymphocele (n = 30, 0.97%), and lymphorrhea (n = 15, 0.49%). When all studies were pooled, the odds ratio (OR) for the risk of any lymphatic complication after RRHND compared with LRHND was 1.27 (95% confidence interval: 0.86–1.98; p = 0.527). In the subgroup analysis, study quality, country of research, and publication year were not associated with perioperative lymphatic complications.

Conclusion/Implications A meta-analysis of the available current literature suggests that RRHND is not superior to LRHND in terms of perioperative lymphatic complications.