Objective To systematically evaluate of the difference in clinical outcomes between Da-Vinci robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for mediastinal tumor resection. Methods Online databases including The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, SinoMed, CNKI, and Wanfang were searched by two researchers independently from inception to October 10, 2022. The quality of the included literature was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The meta-analysis was performed by RevMan 5.3. Results A total of 23 studies with 5 646 patients were enrolled in the final study. The NOS scores of the studies were≥6 points. The results of meta-analysis showed that compared with the VATS group, the blood loss was less [MD=−18.11, 95%CI (−26.12, −10.09), P＜0.001], time of postoperative drainage tube retention [MD=−0.79, 95%CI (−1.09, −0.49), P＜0.001] and postoperative hospitalization time [MD=−1.00, 95%CI (−1.36, −0.64), P＜0.001] were shorter, postoperative day 1 drainage [MD=−5.53, 95%CI (−9.94, −1.12), P=0.010] and total postoperative drainage [MD=−88.41, 95%CI (−140.85, −35.97), P=0.001] were less, the rates of postoperative complications [OR=0.66, 95%CI (0.46, 0.94), P=0.020] and conversion to thoracotomy [OR=0.32, 95%CI (0.19, 0.53), P＜0.001] were lower, and the hospitalization costs were higher [MD=2.60, 95%CI (1.40, 3.79), P＜0.001] in the RATS group. The operative time was not statistically different between the two groups [MD=5.94, 95%CI (−1.45, 13.34), P=0.120]. Conclusion RATS mediastinal tumor resection has a high safety profile. Compared with VATS, patients have less intraoperative blood loss, a lower rate of conversion to thoracotomy, and shorter postoperative tube time and hospital stay, which is more conducive to rapid postoperative recovery.

Objective To systematically evaluate the difference in clinical outcomes between subxiphoid video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (SVATS) and intercostal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (IVATS) for anterior mediastinal tumor resection. Methods Online databases including The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, Sinomed, CNKI, Wanfang from inception to December 19, 2022 were searched by two researchers independently for literature comparing the clinical efficacy of SVATS and IVATS in treating anterior mediastinal tumors. Two researchers independently screened literature and extracted relevant data. The quality of the included literature was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The meta-analysis was performed by RevMan 5.3. Results A total of 12 studies with 1 517 patients were enrolled. NOS score≥6 points. The results of meta-analysis showed that compared with the IVATS, SVATS had less blood loss (MD=−17.76, 95%CI −34.21 to −1.31, P=0.030), less total postoperative drainage volume (MD=−70.46, 95%CI −118.88 to −22.03, P=0.004), shorter duration of postoperative drainage tube retention (MD=−0.84, 95%CI −1.57 to −0.10, P=0.030), lower rate of postoperative lung infections (OR=0.33, 95%CI 0.16 to 0.70, P=0.004), lower postoperative 24 h VAS pain score (MD=−1.95, 95%CI −2.64 to −1.25, P＜0.001) and 72 h VAS pain score (MD=−1.76, 95%CI −2.55 to −0.97, P＜0.001), and shorter postoperative hospital stay (MD=−1.12, 95%CI −1.80 to −0.45, P=0.001). There was no statistical difference in the operation time, the incidence of postoperative complications, incidence of postoperative phrenic nerve palsy or incidence of postoperative arrhythmia (P＞0.05). Conclusion SVATS for the treatment of anterior mediastinal tumors has high safety. Compared with the IVATS, the patients have less intraoperative blood loss and postoperative drainage volume, lower risk of postoperative pulmonary infection, less postoperative short-term pain, and shorter postoperative catheter duration and hospital stay, which is more conducive to rapid postoperative recovery.