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Robotic-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy

  • New Surgical Horizons
  • Published:
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Abstract

Background

Despite its reduced aggressiveness and excellent results obtained in certain diseases, minimally invasive surgery did not manage to significantly lower the risks of esophageal resections. Further advances in technology led to the creation of robotic systems with their unique maneuverability of the instruments and exceptional view on the operative field, thus setting the prerequisites for performance in complex surgical procedures and offering new possibilities to a disease notorious for its dismal prognosis.

Materials and methods

The robotic-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy technique was used in a patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the lower esophagus that had high medical risk for surgical therapy.

Results

Esophageal resection and reconstruction were possible through a robotic-assisted minimally invasive transhiatal approach. There were no intraoperative incidents, blood loss was minimal, and lymph node dissection and removal was possible during the procedure. Early ambulation and conservative treatment of the mild complications that occurred offered a favorable postoperative outcome.

Conclusion

The robotic-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy technique is feasible and safe. Complex procedures become less technically demanding with the help of the robotic system and, thus, the minimally invasive approach can be offered for the benefit of selected patients. Further studies are required to confirm these observations and to establish the role of this procedure in the future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General, Visceral, and Trauma Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 110, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Carsten N. Gutt, Jörg Köninger, Beat P. Müller-Stich, Michael Reiter & Markus W. Büchler

  2. Department of Surgery, 1st Surgical Clinic, “Iuliu Haţieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Vasile V. Bintintan

Authors
  1. Carsten N. Gutt
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  2. Vasile V. Bintintan
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  3. Jörg Köninger
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  4. Beat P. Müller-Stich
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  5. Michael Reiter
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  6. Markus W. Büchler
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Correspondence to Carsten N. Gutt.

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Gutt, C.N., Bintintan, V.V., Köninger, J. et al. Robotic-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy. Langenbecks Arch Surg 391, 428–434 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00423-006-0055-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00423-006-0055-3

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