Robotic surgery in mediastinal cystic pathologies

Abstract

PURPOSE: In this study, results of surgery for patients with mediastinal cystic pathology who weretreated by the utilization of robotic surgery system were analyzed.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospectively collected data of 296 patients on whom robotic surgerysystem was used between October 2011 and June 2017 were retrospectively examined. Of thesepatients, 9 (3%) patients who were operated due to cystic pathologies of mediastinum were includedin this study. Age, gender, docking, and console times of the robot, pathology results, length ofhospital stay, anatomic localization of the lesions, blood transfusion requirement, conversion to opensurgery, mortality, and morbidity rates were recorded.RESULTS: Five patients were male and 4 were female, and the mean age was 45.5 ± 21.2 years.The lesion was localized in anterior mediastinum in two patients, middle mediastinum in four patients,and in posterior mediastinum in three patients. Six patients underwent surgery with the diagnosis ofbronchogenic cyst, one patient underwent surgery with the diagnosis of the pericardial cyst, and twopatients underwent surgery with the diagnosis of the thymic cyst. The mean length of hospital staywas 3.3 ± 1.5 days. The median console time was 45 min (30–110 min) and the median dockingtime was 20 min (10–40 min).CONCLUSION: We consider that, with technical advantages provided to the surgeon in mediastinalsurgery, robotic technology can be preferred in cystic pathologies of the mediastinum localized inareas that may pose challenges in dissection.