Objective:To summarize the experience of robotic and thoracoscopic segmentectomy in Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, and comparison analysis the clinical application value for early-stage lung cancer.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to continuously enroll 190 patients, 100 who received robotic(33 males and 67 females, median age of 51 years)and 90 who received VATS(34 males and 56 females, median age of 54 years), who underwent segmentectomy between June 2018 and October 2019. Perioperative outcomes(the operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative thoracic drainage volume and time, pain score, complications, postoperative hospital stay and survival and mortality) were compared.Results:All the patients successfully completed the surgery and recovered from hospital, with no perioperative death.The baseline characteristics(sex, age, clinical symptoms, smoking status, underlying disease, tumor size, pathological type) and type of segmentectomy were comparable. There was significant difference in operative time[120(interquartile range, IQR 60-225)min vs. 155( IQR 75-330)min, P<0.001], blood loss[30( IQR 20-400) ml vs. 100( IQR 20-1 600) ml, P<0.001] between the robotic and VATS groups, respectively. But there was no significant difference in postoperative thoracic drainagevolume[4( IQR 1-15) days vs. 4( IQR 2-29) days, P=0.547], postoperative thoracic time[755( IQR 200-3 980)ml vs. 815( IQR 280-3 920)ml, P=0.902], pain score[2.33( IQR 0.88-4.75) points vs. 3.13( IQR 0.95-5.29)points, P=0.199], complications[7.4%(14/190) vs. 6.3%(12/190), P=0.303], postoperative hospital stay[7( IQR 3-19) days vs. 6( IQR 4-21) days, P=0.405] , number of lymph nodes[(4.83±3.18) vs.(6.15±4.1), P=0.255] between the robotic and VATS groups, respectively. The follow-up time was 6.5( IQR 1-26) months in the two groups, without recurrence, metastasis or death. Conclusion:Robotic lung segmentectomy is safe and feasible. This approach might lead to a better in operative time and blood loss. The short-term efficacy is similar with thoracoscopy, and the long-term efficacy needs further follow-up time.

Objective    To investigate the short-term effects of Da Vinci robot-assisted Nissen fundoplication in the treatment of refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease (rGERD), and to evaluate the safety and efficacy of its surgical treatment. Methods    A total of 40 patients with rGERD treated by Da Vinci robot-assisted surgery from October 2016 to November 2019 in our hospital were collected. There were 23 males and 17 females at age of 34-76 (61±23) years. The related clinical data were retrospectively analyzed, and the operation skills of Da Vinci robot-assisted Nissen fundoplication with rGERD were summarized. Results    There was no perioperative death or serious complication such as esophagogastric fistula. Postoperative reflux symptoms were significantly improved. DeMeester scores after surgery (39.79±35.01 points vs. 2.61±2.40 points, P=0.029), lower esophageal sphincter pressure (8.74±7.21 mm Hg vs. 24.56±8.76 mm Hg, P=0.020), integrated relaxation pressure (7.29±7.21 mm Hg vs. 16.49±9.99 mm Hg, P=0.023), distal contractile integral (600.49 ± 665.30 mm Hg·s·m vs. 510.99 ± 580.60 mm Hg·s·m, P=0.042), GERD-Q scale score (12.98±2.39 points vs. 7.59±1.11 points, P=0.033) were significantly improved compared with those before surgery. Postoperative dysphagia was found in 2 patients. And dysphagia was alleviated after diet adjustment and other treatments. Conclusion    Da Vinci robot-assisted Nissen fundoplication is a safe and effective treatment for rGERD.

Objective    To investigate the effects of robotic versus thoracoscopic lobectomy on body trauma and lymphocyte subsets in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods    The clinical data of 120 patients with NSCLC who underwent lobectomy in the same operation group at the same period were collected and divided into a robot group (n=60) and a thoracoscope group (n=60) according to different surgical methods. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage time, drainage volume, postoperative hospital stay, complication rate, pain visual analogue scale (VAS) and other perioperative indicators were recorded in the two groups. Inflammatory markers: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+) levels were measured before and 1 d, 3 d after surgery. The effects of the two surgical methods on the body trauma and lymphocyte subsets were compared. Results    The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage time, drainage volume and VAS of the robot group were lower than those of the thoracoscope group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). On the 1st day after surgery, IL-6 of the thoracoscope group was higher than that of the robot group, while CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ were lower than those of the robot group, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). Conclusion    Compared with thoracoscopic lobectomy, robotic lobectomy has less trauma, less inflammatory response, faster recovery, less inhibitory effect on lymphocyte subsets, and has clinical advantages.

Objective    To explore the clinical efficacy of thoracoscopy-assisted modified Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum (PE) in children. Methods    The clinical data of patients with PE who underwent thoracoscopy-assisted modified Nuss procedure from October 2013 to October 2020 in Daping Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Results    A total of 86 patients were collected, including 79 males and 7 females with a mean age of 14.03±3.36 years. The operations were performed successfully in all patients without intraoperative cardiac vascular injury or perioperative death. The mean operation time was 87.30±33.45 min, bleeding volume was 19.94±14.60 mL, and the postoperative hospitalization stay time was 6.89±2.59 d. Early postoperative complications included 2 patients of pneumothorax, 2 patients of wound fat liquefaction and infection, 2 patients of bar flipping and displacement. One patient had bar displacement 1 year after the surgery. The total complication rate was 8.14%. All patients were followed up for 3-42 months. The bars were taken out about 36 months after the surgery. According to the evaluation criteria of orthopedic effect, 68 (79.07%) patients were excellent, 10 (11.63%) patients were good, 5 (5.81%) patients were moderate and 3 (3.49%) patients were poor. Conclusion    Minimally invasive and individualized shaping via the Nuss procedure for PE children is safe and convenient, with satisfied effect. It is worthy of popularization in the clinic.

Objective    To evaluate the feasibility and clinical value of robot-assisted lung segmentectomy through anterior approach. Methods    We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 77 patients who underwent robotic lung segmentectomy through anterior approach in our hospital between June 2018 to October 2019. There were 22 males and 55 females, aged 53 (30-71) years. Patients' symptoms, general conditions, preoperative imaging data, distribution of resected lung segments, operation time, bleeding volume, number of lymph node dissected, postoperative duration of chest tube insertion, drainage volume, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative complications, perioperative death and other indicators were analyzed. Results    All operations were successfully completed. There was no conversion to thoracotomy, serious complications or perioperative death. The postoperative pathology revealed early lung cancer in 48 patients, and benign tumors in 29 patients. The mean clinical parameters were following: the robot Docking time 1-30 (M=4) min, the operation time 30-170 (M=76) min, the blood loss 20-400 (M=30) mL, the drainage tube time 2-15 (M=4) days, the drainage fluid volume 200-3 980 (M=780) mL and the postoperative hospital time 3-19 (M=7) days. Conclusion    Robotic lung segmentectomy through anterior approach is a safe and convenient operation method for pulmonary nodules.

Objective    To evaluate the feasibility and clinical value of robot-assisted lobectomy through anterior approach. Methods    We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 180 patients who underwent robot-assisted lobectomy through anterior approach in our hospital between April 2017 and February 2018. There were 97 males and 83 females, aged 59.5 (32.0-83.0) years. The clinical effects were analyzed. Results    One patient was transferred to thoracotomy due to tumor invasion of adjacent blood vessels and injury to the blood vessels, and there was no perioperative death. There were 8.5 (1.0-35.0) dissected lymph nodes for each patient. The median operation time was 120 (50-360) min, including robot Docking time 5 (1-23) min and robot operation time 65 (7-270) min. The median blood loss was 50 (5-1 500) mL, 132 (73.3%) patients had malignant tumors and median drainage time was 5 (2-30) d. The mean postoperative pain score was 3.4±0.7 points and the postoperative hospital time was 8 (2-32) d. At the median follow-up of 24 months, 11 patients developed recurrence and metastasis, and 3 died. Conclusion    Robot-assisted lobectomy through anterior approach is a safe and convenient operation method, which is worthy of clinical application.

Objective    To explore the clinical value of three-dimensional computed tomography bronchography and angiography (3D-CTBA) in robotic lung segmentectomy. Methods    A non-randomized control study was performed and continuously enrolled 122 patients who underwent robotic lung segmentectomy in our hospital from January 2019 to January 2020. 3D-CTBA was performed before operations in 53 patients [a 3D-CTBA group, including 18 males, 35 females, with a median age of 52 (26-69) years] and not performed in the other 69 patients [a traditional group, including 23 males, 46 females, with a median age of 48 (30-76) years]. The clinical data of the patients were compared between the two groups. Results    All the patients were successfully completed the surgery and recovered from hospital, with no perioperative death. The baseline characteristics of the patients were not significantly different between the two groups (P>0.05). No significant difference was found in the operative time [120 (70-185) min vs. 120 (45-225) min, P=0.801], blood loss [50 (20-300) mL vs. 30 (20-400) mL, P=0.778], complications rate (17.0% vs. 11.6%, P=0.162), postoperative hospital stay [7 (4-19) d vs. 7 (3-20) d, P=0.388] between the two groups. In the 3D-CTBA group, 5 (9.4%) patients did not find nodules after segmentectomy, and only 1 (1.9%) of them needed lobectomy, but in the traditional group, 8 (11.6%) patients did not find nodules and had to carry out lobectomy, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The follow-up time was 10 (1-26) months, and during this period, there was no recurrence, metastasis or death in the two groups. Conclusion    3D-CTBA is helpful for accurate localization of nodules and reasonable surgical planning before operations, and reducing wrong resections in segmentectomy, without increasing the operation time, blood loss and complications. It is safe and effective in anatomical lung segmentectomy.

Objective    To investigate the feasibility and safety of single utility port Da Vinci robot-assisted lung resection via anterior approach. Methods    The clinical data of 21 patients who underwent single utility port Da Vinci robot-assisted lung resection from February to March 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 10 males and 11 females, with a median age of 50 (34-66) years. The operation time, blood loss, postoperative hospitalization time, postoperative complications and other indicators were analyzed. Results    All patients completed the operation successfully with no transition to thoracotomy or perioperative death. Overall surgery time was 103 (70-200) min, Docking time was 5 (3-10) min, operation time was 81 (65-190) min. The blood loss was 45 (20-300) mL. All patients had malignant tumors, the number of dissected lymph node station was 3 (1-6), and the number of lymph nodes was 5 (2-16). The postoperative indwelling time was 3 (2-5) d. The postoperative hospitalization time was 5 (3-7) d. The pain score for the first 3 days after surgery was 3±1 points. Conclusion    Single utility port robot-assisted lung resection via anterior approach is safe, less traumatic, more convenient and effective, which can be gradually promoted and applied to clinical trials.

Objective    To summarize the experience of robot-assisted lung basal segmentectomy, and analyze the clinical application value of intersegmental tunneling and pulmonary ligament approach for S9 and/or S10 segmentectomy. Methods    The clinical data of 78 patients who underwent robotic lung basal segmentectomy in our hospital between January 2020 to May 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. There were 32 males and 46 females with a median age of 50 (33-72) years. The patients who underwent S9 and/or S10 segmentectomy were divided into a single-direction group (pulmonary ligament approach, n=19) and a bi-direction group (intersegmental tunneling, n=19) according to different approaches, and the perioperative outcomes between the two groups were compared. Results    All patients successfully completed the operation, without conversion to thoracotomy and lobectomy, serious complications, or perioperative death. The median operation time was 100 (40-185) min, the blood loss was 50 (10-210) mL, and the median number of dissected lymph nodes was 3 (1-14). There were 4 (5.1%) patients with postoperative air leakage, and 4 (5.1%) patients with hydropneumothorax. No patient showed localized atelectasis or lung congestion at 6 months after the operation. Further analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the operation time, blood loss, thoracic drainage time, complications or postoperative hospital stay between the single-direction and bi-direction groups (P>0.05). However, the number of dissected lymph nodes of the bi-direction group was more than that of the single-direction group [6 (1-13) vs. 5 (1-9), P=0.040]. Conclusion    The robotic lung basal segmentectomy for pulmonary nodules is safe and effective. The  perioperative results of robotic S9 and/or S10 complex segmentectomy using intersegmental tunneling and pulmonary ligament approach are similar.