Author:
Chandra Raghav,de Hoyos Alberto
Abstract
Robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS), an evolution of minimally-invasive video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), has recently emerged as the standard of care approach for pulmonary lobectomy for lung cancer. Despite increased upfront costs, RATS provides high-resolution, three-dimensional visualization of the operative field and enhanced instrument maneuverability with greater degrees of freedom. Several studies have demonstrated that RATS is non-inferior to VATS and may be associated with more complete mediastinal lymph node dissection and reduced risk of open conversion, length of stay, and intraoperative blood loss. In this chapter, we discuss the fundamental principles of robotic-assisted pulmonary lobectomy, indications and advantages of a robotic approach, and our operative technique.