title: Clinical outcomes of transoral robotic surgery for head and neck tumors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In order to reduce treatment-related morbidity rates and increase patients' quality of life, robot-assisted surgery using the da Vinci surgical system (Intuitive Surgical Inc, Sunnyvale, California) has been studied actively in the field of head and neck surgery. This study analyzes our experiences therewith in order to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of robot-assisted surgery via a transoral approach in the head and neck area.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between April 2008 and December 2011, 141 patients were treated with robot-assisted surgery via a transoral approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Robot-assisted surgeries were successfully completed via a transoral approach in all patients. The mean robotic operative time was 69.3 minutes, and the mean time for setup of the robotic system was 10.4 minutes. The average blood loss during the operation was 29.6 mL (range, 0 to 300 mL). Patients who underwent robot-assisted surgery were satisfied with their cosmetic results and treatment outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Robot-assisted surgery via a transoral approach was confirmed to be feasible and efficient in the field of head and neck surgery. Further research is needed to investigate the long-term functional and oncological results of robot-assisted surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Young Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Won Shik
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyung Kwon
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Byeon
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Virgilio
authors.forename: Sei Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Se-Heon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004867:Equipment Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth; D057605:Natural Orifice Endoscopic Surgery / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult