[Robot-assisted pulmonary lobectomy--our first experiences].

Abstract

The authors present their first experience and the results of robot-assisted pulmonary lobectomies. The paper reports on the placement of the working channels, auxiliary minithoracotomies, the patient's position, the positions of the four-arm body of the da Vinci robotic system, and particularly the technique of lobectomy. In our institution, 5 robot-assisted lobectomies were performed in two women and three men (aged 45, 52, and 57, 67, 54 years, respectively). The lower lobectomy was performed four times left and once right. The surgery was always supplemented with mediastinal lymphadenectomy. The vessels were ligated mechanically with the use of the robot. No serious complications were observed during the surgery or in the postoperative period. Robot-assisted lobectomy is a safe method of pulmonary resection in the early stages of bronchogenic carcinoma (Ia, Ib); it ensures a faster convalescence of the patient compared with open surgery.