Total port approach for robotic lobectomy

Robotic surgery is safe and efficient, with similar survival rates to the open and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) approaches. The surgeon can provide an R0 resection in patients with cancer. Technical modifications lead to decreased operative times and may improve the ability to teach. The capital cost, service contract costs, and equipment costs have to be carefully considered and studied, and patient selection is critical. There are few achievable benefits of using a robotic system compared with VATS when performing a sympathotomy for patients with hyperhidrosis or a pulmonary wedge resection for tissue diagnosis for patients with interstitial lung disease.