Robotic Head and Neck Surgery: Beyond TORS.

Abstract

To explore the advances in robotic head and neck surgery (HNS) beyond TORS. Although limited, the current literature corroborates the safety of robotic neck surgery, revealing similar surgical/oncologic outcomes, except longer operative time and superior cosmesis. In most of the remote thyroid approaches, use of robotic-assisted surgery is essential. However, for the recently popularized transoral approach, endoscopic technique has been preferred by most surgeons, due to longer operative time in robotic-assisted technique. On the other hand, retroauricular approach has been considered the standard for comprehensive/selective robotic neck dissections. Robotic technology has an increasing role in HNS. Robotic neck dissection has shown encouraging results, being routinely used in some centers around the globe. Robotic thyroid surgery, although safe when well applied, has lost ground to endoscopic transoral thyroidectomy. In the future, more evolved robotic systems could improve multiple areas of HNS.