Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026
Robotic Myotomy and Partial Fundoplication for Achalasia
Published on: August 11, 2023
Short-term outcomes of robotic subxiphoid-optical thymectomy
Masanori Shimomura1, Satoru Okada2, Tatsuo Furuya2
1Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan. mshimomu@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp.
Purpose:
To evaluate the usefulness of robotic subxiphoid-optical thymectomy (RST).
Methods:
Thirty-seven procedures (thymoma, n = 19; thymic carcinoma, n = 1; myasthenia gravis, n = 3; and others, n = 14) performed between October 2020 and December 2023 were included. The right and left 6th intercostal midclavicular lines and subxiphoid, with an assistant port placed in the right third intercostal anterior axillary line, were adapted. Postoperative pain was assessed using a numerical rating scale (NRS).
Results:
A good view of the surgical field is obtained. The median console time was 113 min and the time to roll-in was 30 min. The body mass index (BMI) was 21.6. One patient with thymic carcinoma required combined resection of the left phrenic nerve and left brachiocephalic vein without conversion to thoracotomy, and 1 patient had post-pericardiotomy syndrome with bilateral pleural effusion. There was a correlation between the prolonged time to roll-in and BMI (ρ = 0.439; p = 0.007). Pain was controlled with oral medication on postoperative day 1 and significantly decreased at discharge and at the first outpatient visit without epidural anesthesia (median NRS scores: 4, 1, and 1, respectively).
Conclusion:
RST is a safe procedure that provides surgeons with a sufficient view of the anterior mediastinum and causes minimal postoperative pain.
