OP101: Clinical outcomes of transoral robotic surgery for head and neck tumor

Abstract

Purpose In order to reduce treatment-related morbidity and increase patients’ quality of life, robot-assisted surgery using the da Vinci surgical robotic system (Intuitive Surgical Inc., Sunnyvale, California) has been studied actively in the field of head and neck surgery. This study analyzes our experiences therewith in order to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of robot-assisted surgery via a transoral approach in the head and neck area. Material and methods Between April 2008 and December 2011, 141 patients were treated with robot-assisted surgery via a transoral approach. Results Robot-assisted surgeries were successfully completed via a transoral approach in all patients. The mean robotic operative time was 69.3 min and that for the setting of the robotic system was 10.4 min. The average blood loss during the operation was 29.6 (range, 0–300 ml). Patients who received robot-assisted surgery were satisfied with good cosmetic results and treatment outcomes. Conclusions Robot-assisted surgery via a transoral approach was confirmed to be feasible and efficient in the field of head and neck surgery. Further research is needed to investigate the long-term functional and oncologic results of robot-assisted surgery.