Number of lymph nodes dissected and upstaging rate of the N factor in robot-assisted thoracic surgery versus video-assisted thoracic surgery for patients with cN0 primary lung cancer.

PURPOSE: The accuracy of lymph node (LN) dissection in robotic surgery for lung cancer remains controversial. We compared the accuracy of LN dissection in robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) vs. video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). METHODS: The subjects of this retrospective analysis were 226 patients with cN0 primary lung cancer who underwent robot-assisted or video-assisted thoracic lobectomy with LN dissection, in our department, between April, 2016 and February, 2021. We compared the numbers of all LNs and mediastinal LNs dissected, the time required for LN dissection, complications, and upstaging rates of the N factor between the groups. Furthermore, we performed an inverse probability of treatment weighting-adjusted analysis to reduce potential bias between the groups. RESULTS: The number of dissected LNs was higher in the RATS group in both the unweighted and weighted analyses. The time required for lymph node dissection was also longer in RATS. There was no significant difference in complications or in the upstaging rate of the N factor between the groups. CONCLUSION: More LNs were dissected with RATS. Thus, the usefulness of robot-assisted surgery for LN dissection needs to be investigated further.

Causes and management of intraoperative complications in robot-assisted anatomical pulmonary resection for lung cancer.

Background: To perform safe robot-assisted anatomical lung resections, the details of intraoperative complications need to be shared among thoracic surgeons. However, only limited data are available. Methods: This retrospective, single-institutional study evaluated 134 patients who underwent robot-assisted anatomical lung resection. We examined the causes, management, and outcomes of all intraoperative complications. Results: Of the 134 eligible patients, 118 (88%) underwent lobectomy and 16 (12%) underwent segmentectomy. Intraoperative complications occurred in 17 (12.7%) patients. These complications included pulmonary artery (PA) injuries in seven patients, pulmonary vein (PV) injuries in three, azygos vein (AV) injury in one, superior vena cava (SVC) injury in one, bronchial injuries in three, and lung injuries in four. Most PA injuries were at a distal side and controlled by pressure, fibrin sealant, or stapling of the proximal side. In the three PV injuries, right upper PV was sandwiched by robotic instruments, V6 was punctured by the tip of the Maryland bipolar forceps, and the distal side of V2t was injured during tunneling of a minor interlobar fissure. These were controlled the same way as the PA injuries. The AV injury occurred during hilar lymph node (LN) dissection and was controlled by suturing. The SVC injury was caused by interference of the robotic forceps and the suction tube outside the field of view during upper mediastinal LN dissection. The injury was controlled by continuous pressure while layering polyglycolic acid sheets and fibrin glue. In the three bronchial injuries, B10 was injured during subcarinal LN dissection, right main bronchus was injured during upper bronchus dissection and the stapling failure of the bronchus occurred by strong traction. They were all repaired by suturing. All lung parenchymal injuries were caused by manipulation of robotic instruments outside the field of view. The lung injuries were repaired by suturing with pledgets. No cases were converted to thoracotomy. The 30-day mortality rate was 0.7%. The cause of mortality was pneumonia. Conclusions: In robot-assisted anatomical pulmonary resection for lung cancer, most major intraoperative complications can be safely managed robotically without conversion to thoracotomy.

Tips for using forceps during uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is usually performed using an ultrasonic coagulation cutting device in the dominant hand and a long suction device in the non-dominant hand. However, countertraction with forceps is often needed for dissection of a vessel sheath. Moreover, in uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, which requires the simultaneous use of multiple instruments, the instruments tend to interfere with each other during the procedure because of the need to share a single incisional port. In this video tutorial, we present tips for using thoracoscopic forceps with bent tips and a 30° video thoracoscope in uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

Robot-assisted and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for thymoma: comparison of the perioperative outcomes using inverse probability of treatment weighting method.

Background: Minimally invasive surgery is the standard treatment for early-stage thymoma. We compared the perioperative outcomes between robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for thymoma. Methods: Between April 2011 and August 2021, patients with thymoma who underwent thymectomy by RATS (n=20) or VATS (n=37) at our hospital were retrospectively reviewed. We evaluated the postoperative quality of life (QOL), surgical outcomes, complications, mortality, and pain grade. Postoperative QOL was assessed according to the time to achieve "B duration" and "CIII duration" based on the Nursing Dependency Score and Nursing Criteria, respectively. Results: After the inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW), the B duration and CIII duration were significantly shorter with RATS than with VATS (P<0.001 and P=0.037, respectively). These superior results of RATS group compared to those of the VATS group were confirmed with logistic regression analysis (OR 0.25, 95% CI: 0.10-0.63, P=0.003; and OR 0.31, 95% CI: 0.12-0.76, P=0.011, respectively). After the IPTW, the VATS group had significantly fewer patients with epidural analgesia than the RATS group (P=0.018). In contrast, additional regular analgesics (including those for wound pain and neuralgia) were prescribed significantly more often during postoperative hospitalization in the VATS group (P=0.033). Patients in both groups had no myasthenic crisis or mortality. The postoperative pain grade at the first and second follow-ups did not significantly differ between the two groups after the IPTW (P=0.376 and P=0.109, respectively). Conclusions: RATS offered the advantages of improved postoperative QOL according to nursing care systems compared to VATS.

Interlobar division using vessel-sealing system in robot-assisted pulmonary lobectomy.

Objective: We investigated the safety of a novel interlobar fissure division technique using the da Vinci vessel sealing system in robot-assisted pulmonary lobectomy. Methods: The medical records of patients who underwent robotic pulmonary lobectomy with node dissection for primary lung cancer between 2018 and 2020 were reviewed. The inclusion criteria were fulfilled by 111 patients, whose perioperative factors and postoperative results were compared with those previously reported. Furthermore, the new robotic lung interlobar division technique using the da Vinci vessel sealing system without a robotic stapler was evaluated in patients with low-grade incomplete fissure. We considered the Craig and Walker classification of lung fissures grades 1 and 2 as a good adaptation for the vessel sealing system interlobar fissure division. Results: The vessel sealing system group had shorter mean operative and console times (P = .03 and P = .01, respectively) and lesser median intraoperative blood loss (20 mL vs 50 mL; P = .01). The vessel sealing system group had lower surgical complication rates (2.2% vs 20.0%; P = .01). The incidence of persistent postoperative air leak was lower (0% vs 10.0%; P = .06), and fewer robotic stapler cartridges were used during surgery (3.4 vs 5.6; P < .001) in the vessel sealing system group than in the stapler group. Conclusions: We report the safety of using the da Vinci vessel sealing system as an alternative to the use of robotic staples for interlobar fissure division in robot-assisted pulmonary lobectomy. This technique seems easy and feasible though limited to the low-grade incomplete fissure.