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Robot-Assisted Breast Augmentation
So Min Oh1, Sang Cheon Park1, Hyung Bae Kim1
1Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Background:
Robotic systems are increasingly employed across various surgical fields and are now expanding into breast surgery. However, few studies have explored robotic surgery in aesthetic breast augmentation. Traditional breast augmentation with axillary approach relies on endoscopic assistance but is limited by restricted visualization, operational inflexibility, surgeon fatigue, and a long learning curve.
Objectives:
This study introduces robot-assisted transaxillary breast augmentation using the da Vinci single-port (SP) surgical system (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA), which offers high-resolution imaging with adjustable magnification, flexible robotic arms, and gas insufflation to reduce surgeon fatigue.
Methods:
From January 2023 to July 2024, a total of 12 breasts from eight female patients underwent robot-assisted augmentation using the da Vinci SP surgical system. Four patients received bilateral augmentation for aesthetic purposes, while the remaining four underwent direct-to-implant reconstruction after robot-assisted mastectomy, combined with contralateral augmentation.
Results:
The mean total operative time was 89.8 min (range, 74-100 min), including a mean robotic docking time of 67.7 min (range, 51-78 min). Intraoperative bleeding was minimal, and no early postoperative complications occurred. One patient developed lateral implant displacement and bottoming out, requiring revision surgery, presumably linked to mechanical stress from pectoralis muscle contraction by upper extremity strength training in the early postoperative period. All other patients recovered uneventfully without late complications.
Conclusions:
Robotic surgery addresses the limitations of endoscopic techniques, achieving favorable cosmetic outcomes with minimal, concealed scarring while enhancing surgical precision and safety. This study demonstrates the technical feasibility of a single-port robotic system for mammoplasty and highlights its potential for broader applications in aesthetic surgery.
Level Of Evidence Iv:
This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .