Non-intubated uniportal robotic-assisted thoracic surgery: the future of thoracic surgery?

Abstract

It is a great privilege and honor to be invited to discuss the future of thoracic surgery, that is, the non-intubated, uniportal robotic thoracic approach. In past decades, cancer burden worldwide has substantially increased, among which tracheal, bronchial, and lung (TBL) neoplasms were estimated to be the most significant tumor-related factors affecting human health and longevity (1). Surgical management is the most effective and precise method for the radical treatment of these kinds of thoracic tumors, encompassing both lesion resection and anatomical reconstruction. At present, thoracic operations include traditional thoracotomy, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS). VATS and RATS are considered as the most minimally invasive methods. Compared with typical three-port VATS and RATS, procedures through a single port (uniportal) are increasingly appealing to patients and surgeons due to potentially less pain postoperatively, and higher satisfaction with respect to the least number of incisions made