ObjectiveTo compare the perioperative efficacy and safety of robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) and uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (UVATS) in the lobectomy for early lung adenocarcinoma.MethodsClinical data of 70 early lung adenocarcinoma patients, receiving RATS or UVATS lobectomy by the same surgical team in our hospital from November 2018 to May 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 24 males and 46 females with an average age of 59.3±8.9 years. According to different surgical methods, the patients were divided into a RATS group (31 patients) and a UVATS group (39 patients). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, indwelling time, drainage volume, number of lymph node dissected, stations of lymph node dissected and perioperative complications were compared between the two groups.ResultsThere was no conversion to thoracotomy or perioperative death in both groups. There was no significant difference in intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, indwelling time of thoracic drainage tube, thoracic drainage volume or stations of lymph node dissected between the two groups (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of pulmonary infection, persistent lung leakage, chylothorax, arrhythmia or overall complications between the two groups (P>0.05). The operation time of the RATS group was longer than that of the UVATS group (195.8±52.8 min vs. 154.0±43.1 min, P=0.001). The number of lymph node dissected in the RATS group was more than that of the UVATS group (P=0.016).ConclusionBoth RATS and UVATS are safe and feasible in the treatment of lung cancer. The number of lymph nodes removed by RATS is significantly more than that of UVATS.
Objective To compare the perioperative outcomes of atypical segmentectomy between robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) and conventional video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MethodsThe data of patients who underwent minimally invasive anatomic atypical segmentectomy in our hospital from October 2016 to December 2021 were collected. These patients were divided into a RATS group and a VATS group according to the operation method. Propensity score (PS) matching was used to select patients with close clinical baseline characteristics, and the perioperative results of the two groups were compared. ResultsA total of 1 048 patients were enrolled, including 320 males and 728 females, with a mean age of 53.51±11.13 years. There were 277 patients in the RATS group and 771 patients in the VATS group. After 1∶1 PS matching, 277 pairs were selected. Both groups were well balanced for age, sex, smoking history, body mass index, Charlson comorbidity index, pulmonary function, tumor size, tumor location, and histological type. All patients were R0 resection, and there were no deaths within 30 days after surgery. The RATS group had shorter operative time [85 (75, 105) min vs. 115 (95, 140) min, P<0.001] and less blood loss [50 (30, 100) mL vs. 60 (50, 100) mL, P=0.001]. There were no statistical differences between the two groups in lymph node resection, conversion to thoracotomy, thoracic drainage time, total amount of thoracic drainage or postoperative complications (P>0.05). ConclusionBoth RATS and VATS atypical segmentectomies are safe and feasible for early-stage NSCLC. RATS can effectively shorten the operative time, and reduce blood loss.