Transcervical robotic access in thoracic surgery: Feasibility and alternatives

The transcervical approach in thoracic surgery has regained interest as a way to access the thoracic cavity. The advent of robotic surgery has unveiled a new era of minimally invasive surgery overcoming some of the shortcomings of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) technology. The da Vinci™ system has added new capabilities to minimally invasive surgery with stereotactic vision and wrist-like movements. The da Vinci™ robot is well suited to work in deep spaces, where wrist-like motion and depth perception are essential. The field of robotic surgery has evolved from the surgeons' perspective but lagged behind from the technology perspective. Further development of more sophisticated robotic technology will eventually allow us to safely operate in the most challenging anatomic spaces.