First use of a new retractor in transoral robotic surgery (TORS)

Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) has gained importance in head and neck surgery due to the possibility to visualize regions within the pharynx and larynx which are difficult to access. The success of transoral surgery depends on the exposure of the region of interest in order to allow visualization using a camera system. The Medrobotics Flex(®) Robotic System is a new flexible endoscopic system designed to overcome difficulties experienced in transoral surgery using other robotic systems with rigid endoscopes and instruments. In this article, we describe the first use of the Medrobotics Flex(®) Retractor in humans, a retractor designed for advanced transoral procedures. We report our experience in 11 patients requiring surgery of the oropharynx, hypopharynx, and supraglottic larynx. In all cases, we successfully exposed all targeted surgical regions. We experienced easy handling of the retractor alongside comparable positioning times and no observed mucosal damage.