Initial experience of robot-assisted minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy

Abstract

To report our initial experience of robot-assisted McKeown esophagectomy with stapled cervical esophagogastrostomy. There were 5 robot-assisted McKeown esophagectomies in patients with benign end-staged and malignant diseases of the esophagus for the period from October 2019 to February 2020. No conversions and intraoperative complications were observed. Mean surgery time was 406±48 min, total intraoperative blood loss - 108±45 ml. Four patients had minor complications (wound infection, atelectasis, pneumothorax) that required conservative treatment. We have controlled anastomosis in 2-3 postoperative days with water-soluble contrast, none patient had an anastomotic leakage. Mean hospital-stay was 5 days. Complete (R0) resection was accomplished in all patients with malignant neoplasms. Our first experience showed that robot-assisted McKeown esophagectomy is a safe and feasible surgical option for esophageal diseases. Robot-assisted interventions require advanced endoscopic surgical experience.