Early experience with uniportal robotic thoracic surgery lobectomy

• Published in: Frontiers in surgery Vol. 9; p. 1005860
• Main Authors: Mercadante, Edoardo, Martucci, Nicola, De Luca, Giuseppe, La Rocca, Antonello, La Manna, Carmine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 23.09.2022
• Subjects: rats; robotic thoracic surgery; Surgery; thoracoscopic surgery; uniportal RATS; uniportal VATS; VATS; thoracoscopic surgery; VATS; robotic thoracic surgery (RATS); rats; uniportal RATS; robotic thoracic surgery; uniportal VATS
• ISSN: 2296-875X; 2296-875X
• DOI: 10.3389/fsurg.2022.1005860

Invasiveness 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. Twenty-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) (  < 0.02), showing a very fast learning curve. The postoperative pain score was comparable to that for U-VATS and was constantly low. U-RATS is a safe and feasible technique, combining the advantages of U-VATS with the well-known advantages of robotic surgery.