title: Surgical treatment of early-stage thymomas: robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery versus transsternal thymectomy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to compare the perioperative outcomes for patients who underwent transsternal or robot-assisted thymectomy and to determine the feasibility of robot-assisted thymectomy for the treatment of Masaoka stages 1 and 2 thymomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study evaluated the short-term outcomes for 74 patients undergoing surgery for Masaoka stages 1 and 2 thymomas without myasthenia gravis between January 2009 and December 2012. Of these 74 patients, 23 underwent thymoma resection using unilateral robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS group), and 51 underwent transsternal thymectomy (TST group). Duration of surgery, amount of intraoperative blood loss, duration of chest drainage, duration of postoperative hospital stay, and postoperative complications were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The intraoperative blood loss was significantly less in the RATS groups (61.3 ml) than in the TST group (466.1 ml) (p < 0.01). The postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter in the RATS group (3.7 vs 11.6 days; p < 0.01). No patients in the RATS group underwent conversion to open surgery. No severe surgical complications (e.g., bleeding caused by injury to the left brachiocephalic vein) and only one case of pulmonary atelectasis (appearing in a male patient 2 days after surgery) were detected in this series.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Robot-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy for early-stage thymomas is technically feasible, safe, and less invasive for the patient.
authors: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Huaihaixi Road 241, 200030, Shanghai, China.
authors: Bo
authors: B
authors: Ye
authors: Wang
authors: W
authors: Li
authors: Xiao-Xiao
authors: XX
authors: Ge
authors: Jian
authors: J
authors: Feng
authors: Chun-Yu
authors: CY
authors: Ji
authors: Ming
authors: M
authors: Cheng
authors: Ji-Cheng
authors: JC
authors: Tantai
authors: Heng
authors: H
authors: Zhao
mesh_terms: D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D019106:Postoperative Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012371:Robotics / Q000379:methods*; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted; D013906:Thoracoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D013934:Thymectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D013945:Thymoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
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