[Application of transoral robotic surgery in pharyngolaryngeal tumour resection]

Objective: To summarize clinical experience on application of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in pharyngeal tumour resection. Methods: Six patients underwent TORS with da Vinci^® surgical system in our department from November 2013 to July 2015 and their clinical data were analyzed retrospectively. Results: TORS was accomplished successfully in all 6 patients. The surgical field-exposed time ranged from 30 to 40 minutes with an average of 35 minutes. The operative time ranged from 30 to 130 minutes with an average of 72 minutes. The hospital stays ranged from 6 to 14 days with an average of 10 days, and recovery time for oral intake ranged from 2 to 10 days with an average of 6 days. During TORS, the mouth gag needed to be adjusted 2 to 5 times. Surgical blood loss ranged from 5 to 30 ml with an average of 15 ml. No complications occurred during or after operation. Postoperative pathological examination of incisal edge in patients with malignant tumors showed no residual tumor cell. The mean follow-up was 14 months with no recurrence. Conclusion: With proper indications, TORS possesses enormous value to the application in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery.