Early Results and Technique of Single-Port (SP) Robotic Thoracic Surgery for Pulmonary Resection and Thymectomy.

BACKGROUND

The new SP (Single-Port) robotic system is increasingly used for thoracic surgery.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of consecutive patients who underwent extra-thoracic, single-incision surgery, using the SP robotic system between December 2024 and January 2026.

RESULTS

From September 2024 to January 2026, 82 patients (44 women) underwent SP robotic thoracic surgery. The median height was 165.1cm (5'5"), median BMI was 26.6. Types of operations were: thymectomy (n=28), lobectomy (n=32), segmentectomy (n=17), and pulmonary wedge resection (n=5). Median operative time for thymectomy was 101 minutes and 137 minutes for lung resection. Median chest tube duration for thymectomy was 0 h and was 7.3 h in the 54 patients who underwent pulmonary resection. Median actual blood loss of 20cc (range 15 - 40). Median hospital length of stay was 1 day for all. Median lymph node count was 29 in the right chest and 23 in the left (median of 5 N2 and 3 N1 stations). All had R0 resections. The new SP robotic stapler, used in the last 38 patients, had no malfunctions. No patient experienced major complications (Clavien-Dindo grade > IIIa). There was no 30- or 90-day mortality and the readmission rate within 60 days was 1%.

CONCLUSIONS

This initial experience, the largest report outside of South Korea, shows that robotic thoracic surgery using the da Vinci single-port robotic surgical system, with the new SP robotic stapler is feasible and safe for thymectomy and complex anatomic lung resections, including lobectomy and segmentectomy.