Frontiers in Surgery (Sep 2022)

Early experience with uniportal robotic thoracic surgery lobectomy

  • Edoardo Mercadante,
  • Nicola Martucci,
  • Giuseppe De Luca,
  • Antonello La Rocca,
  • Carmine La Manna

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fsurg.2022.1005860
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9

Abstract

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BackgroundInvasiveness is considered one of the cornerstones of every field of surgery, and video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) approaches are now routinely used worldwide to perform pulmonary resections. Recently, robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) has become the preferred technique in many centers; it is routinely performed using three or four ports with at least one service incision, contrasting with the real concept of invasiveness, especially when compared to uniportal VATS (U-VATS). Hereby, we present our early experience with uniportal RATS (U-RATS) pulmonary resections for early-stage lung cancer. Technical details of surgical steps are accurately described and commented on.ResultsTwenty-four consecutive patients with lung cancer underwent U-RATS anatomical pulmonary resections at our institute. All procedures were completed with the uniportal approach. The mean operative time was 210 min (range 120–350); in the last 10 cases, the operative time was significantly reduced (180 min) compared to the first 10 cases (232 min) (p < 0.02), showing a very fast learning curve. The postoperative pain score was comparable to that for U-VATS and was constantly low.ConclusionsU-RATS is a safe and feasible technique, combining the advantages of U-VATS with the well-known advantages of robotic surgery.

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