A robotic anterior (S3) segmentectomy of the left upper lobe

A robotic approach might be more suitable for pulmonary segmentectomy than the conventional thoracoscopic approach, because the high-definition 3-dimensional surgical view and precise motion without tremor allow us to dissect pulmonary vessels and bronchi to the periphery. However, among several types of segmentectomies, the anterior segmentectomy (S3) of the left upper lobe may be one of the most difficult to achieve in the robotic approach because the dissected hilar region tends to be obstructed by the lung parenchyma in the "looking-up" view. We offer two technical tips to achieve robotic left S3 segmentectomy. The first is the proper retraction of the upper lobe using straw gauze, which allows us to get a good surgical view in the dissected hilar area where pulmonary vessels and bronchi are located. Second, when the intersegmental plane is divided by robotic staplers, the lung should be moved to the dividing line because the angulation of the inserted stapler is limited. Taking these two tips into consideration, we have successfully performed a robotic left S3 segmentectomy. We show the surgical steps of this procedure.