Background:The mediastinum is a complex anatomical region which
contains many vital structures. Many aspects of
mediastinal surgery, like that for other anatomic regions, have evolved from a maximally invasive approach involving a median
sternotomy, anterior mediastinotomy, mediastinoscopy or thoracotomy, to a minimally invasive video-assisted approach. Robotic surgery is presently the most advanced form of minimally invasive surgery. Methods: We reviewed our experience with a robotic approach to mediastinal pathology. In
addition, an extensive search was conducted using PubMed, in order to extract
references for the application of robotics to surgical conditions of the mediastinum. Results: The first
robotic procedure by our group was a mediastinal procedure in 2003. In
the past eighteen years, 203 patients have undergone robotic surgery for
mediastinal pathology.There
were 119 procedures for the Anterior
Mediastinum, 33 procedures for the Middle Mediastinum, and 51procedures for the Posterior Mediastinum.
78 patients underwent robotic thymectomy using a left-sided approach. 43/78 (55%) patients underwent
radical thymectomy for Myasthenia Gravis. Thymoma was
histologically identified in 32% of
patients with Myasthenia Gravis. In patients
with thymoma, there was no tumor recurrence. In patients with My
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