Bharat Panuganti
University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of California San Diego
Papers
4
Total Citations
30
H-Index
3
About
Bharat Panuganti is a head and neck surgeon whose research focuses on expanding the frontiers of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for both oncologic and benign conditions of the upper aerodigestive tract. His major contributions include pioneering the use of intraoperative molecular imaging with panitumumab-IRDye800CW during TORS for oropharyngeal cancer, as demonstrated in his most-cited 2024 paper (15 citations), which aims to improve surgical precision by compensating for the loss of tactile feedback in robotic procedures. He has also leveraged large national databases to show that robotic surgery may improve overall survival for T1 and T2 hypopharyngeal tumors (2021, 10 citations), providing critical evidence for broader adoption of TORS in challenging anatomic sites. Beyond oncology, Panuganti has innovated novel applications of TORS for benign conditions, including the first reported transoral robotic resection of a large cervical esophageal lipoma (2023) and a novel technique for posterior glottic scar lysis and partial arytenoidectomy (2024). His work consistently demonstrates how robotic platforms can be adapted to address previously unmet surgical needs, from improving oncologic outcomes to restoring function in patients with complex benign airway pathology.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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