Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 6, 2026
Subcostal Specimen Removal in Completely Portal Robotic Lobectomy
Published on: April 19, 2024
Early Results and Technique of Single-Port (SP) Robotic Thoracic Surgery for Pulmonary Resection and Thymectomy
Nikolaos Pachos1, Robert J Cerfolio1, Costas Bizekis1
1Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York.
Background:
The new single-port (SP) robotic system is increasingly being used for thoracic surgery.
Methods:
A retrospective analysis of consecutive patients who underwent extrathoracic, single-incision surgery, using the SP robotic system between September 2024 and January 2026.
Results:
From September 2024 to January 2026, 82 patients (44 women) underwent SP robotic thoracic surgery. The median height and body mass index were 165.1 cm (5'5″) and 26.6 kg/m2, respectively. Types of operations were thymectomy (n = 28), lobectomy (n = 32), segmentectomy (n = 17), and pulmonary wedge resection (n = 5). Median operative time was 101 minutes for thymectomy and 137 minutes for lung resection. Median chest tube duration for thymectomy was 0 hour and was 7.3 hours in the 54 patients who underwent pulmonary resection. Median actual blood loss was 20 mL (range 15-40). The median hospital length of stay was 1 day for all. The median lymph node count was 29 in the right chest and 23 in the left (median of 5 N2 and 3 N1 stations). All had R0 resections. The new SP robotic stapler, used in the last 38 patients, had no malfunctions. No patient experienced major complications (Clavien-Dindo grade > IIIa). There was no 30- or 90-day mortality, and the readmission rate within 60 days was 1%.
Conclusions:
This initial experience, the largest report outside of South Korea, shows that robotic thoracic surgery using the da Vinci SP robotic surgical system, with the new SP robotic stapler, is feasible and safe for thymectomy and complex anatomic lung resections, including lobectomy and segmentectomy.
