Different techniques in robotic lung resection

Abstract

We read with great interest the article of Jin and co-authors describing a left lower lung lobectomy performed with robotic technique (1). The robotic approach for surgical treatment of lung cancer was first introduced in 2002 (2). The initial spread of this technique has been slow because many limitations were emphasized, such as the spatial footprint of the apparatus, the complexity in installing the robot’s arms into the patient’s chest and the increased duration of surgery; operating at a distance from the patient was also considered a source of anxiety by many surgeons. As a result, time was needed to gain confidence with the new apparatus and change the surgeons’ mentality for accepting the new procedure.