Robotic sleeve resections: new territory but not the final frontier

Abstract

Robotic-assisted surgery for anatomic pulmonary resection has rapidly progressed over the past decade introducing several technical advantages over video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). These include improved visualization, scaled movements, tremor reduction, and instrumentation with seven degrees of freedom. In some centers, the robotic platform is now the preferred approach to routine lobectomies. However, it may be in the more complex operations that these advantages are truly realized. Dr. Luo and colleagues from the Shanghai Lung Tumor Clinical Medical Center (1) provide an excellent example in their description of a robotic-assisted thoracoscopic right upper lobe sleeve resection.