BACKGROUND: After approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in Korea, single-port system robotic surgery (SPRS) has also been implemented in the field of thoracic surgery. In this study, we aimed to investigate the early outcomes of SPRS in thoracic disease performed at a tertiary hospital in Korea.
METHODS: Patients with mediastinal tumor who underwent SPRS between October 2020 and November 2023 were reviewed. Clinical information, intra-operative results, and postoperative early outcomes were evaluated. All surgeries were performed in a 3- to 4-cm air-tight single port with CO2 insufflation.
RESULTS: A total of 13 patients underwent SPRS. The type of surgery was thymectomy in 12 cases and mass excision in 1 case. Ten of the patients were women, and the median age was 55 years (range, 36-68 years). The most common pathologic outcomes were thymoma in 9 cases, including 2 cases of myasthenia gravis. The approach for SPRS was subxiphoid, and subcostal in 12, and 1 respectively. The mean duration of the surgery was 138.8± 51.4 (range, 65-238) and all surgeries were successfully performed without conversion to an open surgery. There were no major postoperative complications. The median duration of chest drainage and hospital stay were 2 days (range, 1-3 days) and 4 days (range, 3-5 days), respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: SPRS in the field of thoracic surgery is technically feasible and safe. Although the initial series of SPRS have only been performed in relatively simple cases, but it is thought that it could be performed in more complex surgeries, including lobectomy, in the near future.
