The state of the art and future directions of robotic-assisted thoracic surgery

Why comprehensive adoption of robotic assisted thoracic surgery is ideal for both simple and complex lung resections

“…Although the fulcrum effect is not completely eliminated, the robotic port itself remains relatively fixed and is stationary for longer periods than in VATS. We and others hypothesized that the lack of torque and pressure shifts upon the thoracic trocar may cause less trauma to the associated intercostal nerves, with concomitant decreases in postoperative intercostal neuralgia (37,38).…”

Commentary: Robotic anatomic lung resection: Raising the bar of our expectations in treating lung cancer

“…5 Other studies have also shown the technical and oncologic benefits of the robotic approach. [6][7][8][9] Alongside this surgical evolution, there have also been significant strides in developing more accurate and effective nonoperative ablative modalities especially stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), which has become the de facto alternative to surgical resection of early stage cancer.…”

Commentary: Intraoperative electromagnetic percutaneous localization by surgeons: Navigating the rough waters of indeterminate pulmonary nodules

“…Our group and others in the surgical community have previously discussed the many benefits of intraoperative localization by the surgeon, including the avoidance of delay in treating a biopsy-related complication, patient convenience, and the ability of the surgeon to place the marker according to the planned angle of approach to the IPN. [2][3][4] Despite these benefits, few intraoperative studies have been published. A recent report by our group 5 described electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopic injection of autofluorescent dye for localization of small, deep, or subsolid IPNs.…”