Robot-Assisted Approach to First Rib Anterior Hypoplasia: An Anatomic Challenge

A 17-year-old man with no past medical history was referred to our department for heaviness, numbness, redness, and swelling of the left arm. Imaging studies showed that while the left arm was elevated, a compression of the subclavian elements occurred. The final diagnosis was a vascular thoracic outlet syndrome caused by hypoplasia of the anterior part of the first left rib. Herein, we describe our experience of a robot-assisted partial resection of the first rib.