Uniportal robotic assisted surgery for anatomical lung resection—First German experience

Background

Uniportal robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (uRATS) has emerged as a promising technique with potential advantages over multiportal approaches. This study aims to evaluate our initial outcomes of uRATS.

Material and Methods

Five patients underwent anatomic lung resections with systematic nodal dissection through a uniportal robotic approach by one surgeon. The results were compared to the results of the first five uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (uVATS) anatomical resections performed by the same surgeon.

Results

No adverse events occurred during the uRATS-procedures. Comparable surgical outcomes were observed between uRATS and uVATS, including hospital stays, complication rates, and blood loss. The average procedural time was slightly but non-significantly longer in the uRATS-group. Average pain-scores were lower in the uRATS group. One patient in each group experienced major postoperative complications, with one case of in-hospital mortality in the uRATS-group.

Conclusion

The outcomes of uRATS/uVATS were comparable, highlighting the potential and the feasibility of this technique. Prospective studies comparing the learning curves, complication rate and hospital-stay are required in order to justify the superiority of robotics over uVATS.