Robotic-assisted pulmonary segmentectomies

The increased detection of early non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) has allowed many surgeons to consider treatment of small peripheral lesions with intentional limited resection, which has gained much interest even in patients with low surgical risk. The minimally invasive approach to lung surgery has many benefits that have been widely reported. Robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, similar to video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), for lung cancer offers several advantages, including improved visualization and more precise instrument manipulation. Minimally invasive segmentectomy combines two beneficial aspects: first, the decreased surgical insult to the patient; second, the concept of “lung-sparing surgery”, especially for those patients with reduced lung function. We report here a review of the literature about robotic-assisted segmentectomies. We will then describe the technique for specific segmentectomies, with related tips, tricks, and pitfalls.