Preclinical study of transcervical upper mediastinal dissection for esophageal malignancy by robot-assisted surgery.
BACKGROUND
Robotic surgical systems are potentially applicable to transcervical mediastinal lymph dissection for esophageal malignancy.


METHODS
Robot-assisted surgery was performed on a male fresh-frozen human cadaver. Devices for single-port laparoscopic surgery were deployed via one small incision in the left clavicular area. The task for the robot-assisted surgery was the upper mediastinal dissection to the level of the left main bronchus and en bloc harvest of the lymph nodes adherent to the left recurrent laryngeal nerve.


RESULTS
An up-angled 30° scope in the 6 o'clock port and two robotic arms from the 3 and 9 o'clock ports worked effectively together. No collisions of the devices inside the cadaveric body or unexpected traumatic events occurred.


CONCLUSIONS
The robotic surgical system can be used safely for the upper mediastinal dissection. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.|Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Mitsui Memorial Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Kazuhiko
K
Mori
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Shuntaro
S
Yoshimura
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Yukinori
Y
Yamagata
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Susumu
S
Aikou
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Yasuyuki
Y
Seto
D002102:Cadaver; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016629:Esophagectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000379:methods*; D008481:Mediastinoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008482:Mediastinum; D009333:Neck / Q000601:surgery; D065287:Robotic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D000071036:Sentinel Lymph Node / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
esophageal cancer; esophagectomy; mediastinal dissection; robotic; transcervical