Objective:To compare the efficacy of gasless robotic surgery via transaxillary approach and combined axillary-retroauricular approach for unilateral N1b PTC, and to explore the safety and effectiveness of gasless robotic surgery via transaxillary approach for unilateral N1b PTC. Methods:Unilateral N1b PTC patients who underwent surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology, Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat sen University between July 2016 and December 2024 were included and analyzed. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and the differences of surgical approaches, the patients were divided into the transaxillary approach（TA） group and the combined axillary-retroauricular approach（TARA） group. The demographic data, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, postoperative complications, shoulder function evaluation, postoperative visual analogue scale（VAS） of neck aesthetics and recurrence of the two groups were statistically analyzed. Results:A total of 88 patients undergoing gasless robotic surgery were included in this study, including 23 cases in the TA group and 65 cases in the TARA group. The proportion of males in the TA group was significantly higher than that in the TARA group（56.5% vs 21.5%, χ²=9.776, P=0.002）. The total operation time in the TA group was significantly lower than that in the TARA Group（180.00[155.00, 220.00]min vs 220.00[177.50, 272.50]min, z=-2.775, P=0.006）, and the postoperative blood loss in the TA group was significantly lower than that in the TARA Group（30.00[20.00, 50.00]ml vs 50.00[30.00, 60.00]ml, Z=-2.127, P=0.033）. The proportion of area Ⅱ-Ⅴ in the TA group and the TARA group was 87.0% and 70.8%, respectively, and there was no significant difference between the two groups（P>0.05）. There was no significant difference in lateral cervical lymph node dissection and central lymph node dissection between the two groups（P>0.05）. During the follow-up period, no recurrence was found in the two groups, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups（P>0.05）. According to the stratification of dynamic recurrence risk assessment, it can be seen that the proportion of curative effect satisfaction in the TA group was as high as 95.7%, and that in the TARA group was as high as 81.5%, with no significant difference between the two groups. There was no significant difference in VAS score of neck, Constant Shoulder Score and NDⅡ scale between the two groups（P>0.05）. Conclusion:Gasless robotic surgery via transaxillary approach for unilateral N1b PTC is safe and feasible, and the amount postoperative lymph node acquisition is equivalent to that of combined axillary-retroauricular approach, which can provide a new choice for the treatment of unilateral N1b PTC patients.
Humans ; Robotic Surgical Procedures/methods* ; Axilla/surgery* ; Male ; Female ; Operative Time ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Postoperative Complications

Objective:Traditional salivary gland surgery involves incisions in the visible facial and cervical regions, leaving postoperative scars that affect cosmesis. This study aims to investigate the clinical efficacy, safety, and application value of robot-assisted endoscopic resection of benign submandibular and parotid gland lesions via a postauricular approach, while clarifying its advantageous differences compared with endoscopic surgery. Methods:Clinical data of 23 patients who underwent robot-assisted endoscopic surgery via a postauricular approach（11 parotid gland cases and 12 submandibular gland cases） from January 2017 to February 2025 were retrospectively analyzed. Meanwhile, A matched control group of patients who received postauricular endoscopic surgery during the same period was selected as the control group in a 1∶1 ratio（11 parotid gland cases and 12 submandibular gland cases）. Indicators such as operation time, intraoperative blood loss, complications, and postoperative aesthetic satisfaction scores（Numeric Satisfaction Scale, NSS） were collected and compared between the two groups. The inclusion criteria were limited to benign lesions of the parotid superficial lobe（diameter ≤5 cm, without deep lobe involvement） and benign submandibular gland lesions（diameter ≤4 cm, without extension through the mylohyoid muscle）. Results:All robot-assisted surgeries were successfully completed without conversion to open surgery. In the robot group, there were 7 male patients（mean age 39.5 years） and 16 female patients（mean age 35.9 years）. For parotid gland surgeries, the mean operation time was （114.00±38.35） minutes. For submandibular gland surgeries, the mean operation time was（140.00±30.75） minutes.Temporary facial paralysis occurred in 0 of patients after robotic submandibular gland surgery （vs.8% in the endoscopic group） and 18% after robotic parotid gland surgery （vs.27 % in the endoscopic group）,all of which resolved within 1 month, with no occurrence of salivary fistula or infection. Patients had high aesthetic satisfaction（NSS scores: 8.90±1.20 for parotid surgeries and 9.00±0.70 for submandibular surgeries）. No tumor recurrence was observed during the 8-77 month follow-up period. Conclusion:Robot-assisted endoscopic salivary gland surgery via a postauricular approach is safe and feasible. With three-dimensional high-definition visualization and precise mechanical manipulation, it outperforms traditional endoscopic surgery in reducing blood loss, lowering the risk of nerve injury, and achieving long-term cosmetic outcomes. It is particularly suitable for young patients and cases with benign lesions of the parotid superficial lobe or submandibular gland that have high aesthetic demands. However, this surgical approach is not suitable for deep parotid lobe tumors, and its long-term efficacy requires verification through large-sample studies.
Humans ; Robotic Surgical Procedures/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Endoscopy/methods* ; Submandibular Gland/surgery* ; Parotid Gland/surgery* ; Female ; Male ; Operative Time ; Salivary Glands/surgery* ; Adult ; Middle Aged

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacies of gasless transoral vestibular robotic surgery and open surgery for the treatment of thyroglossal duct cysts.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with thyroglossal duct cysts who underwent surgical treatment in the Department of Otolaryngology at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University from August 2020 to October 2023. According to the differences in surgical methods, patients were divided into a robotic surgery group and an open surgery group. Statistical analysis was conducted on demographic data, surgical time, bleeding volumes, drainage volumes, postoperative complications, scar conditions, postoperative aesthetic scores, and recurrence rates of the two groups of patients. For normally distributed measurement data, inter-group comparison was done via independent-sample t-test. For non-normally distributed data, Mann-Whitney U test was applied. Comparisons of composition ratios or rates were performed using the χ2 test or Fisher′s exact probability method. Results:A total of 44 patients with thyroglossal duct cysts who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included, including 22 males and 22 females, aged from 3 to 73 years old. Both the robotic surgery group and the open surgery group had respectively 22 cases. The maximum diameter of tumors of the open surgery group was 3.45(2.50, 4.00) cm, while the robotic surgery group measured 2.50 (2.10, 3.20) cm, with the open group demonstrating significantly larger tumor dimensions compared to the robotic group ( Z=-2.329, P<0.05). Compared to the open surgery group, the robotic surgery group showed significantly more surgical time [105.00 (95.00, 135.00) min vs. 65.00(58.75, 76.25) min, Z=-5.377, P<0.05], postoperative hospitalization time [4.00 (3.75, 5.00) days vs. 3.00(2.00, 4.00) days, Z=-3.202, P<0.05] and bleeding volume [20.00 (10.00, 20.00) ml vs. 5.00 (5.00, 10.00) ml, Z=-4.769, P<0.05], but had less scar length [0 cm vs. 4.00 (2.00, 5.00) cm, Z=-6.097, P<0.05] and better postoperative cosmetic satisfaction [10.00 (10.00, 10.00) vs. 8.00 (6.75, 8.00), Z=-5.221, P<0.05]. With follow-up of 10.0-48.0 months, both the robotic surgery group and the open surgery group showed no recurrence. There was no significant difference in the follow-up time between the two groups ( Z=-0.224, P=0.823). Conclusion:Gasless transoral vestibular robotic surgery is safe and feasible for the treatment of thyroglossal duct cysts, with efficacy comparable to traditional surgery, which can provide a new option for the treatment of thyroglossal duct cysts.

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacies of gasless transoral vestibular robotic surgery and open surgery for the treatment of thyroglossal duct cysts.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with thyroglossal duct cysts who underwent surgical treatment in the Department of Otolaryngology at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University from August 2020 to October 2023. According to the differences in surgical methods, patients were divided into a robotic surgery group and an open surgery group. Statistical analysis was conducted on demographic data, surgical time, bleeding volumes, drainage volumes, postoperative complications, scar conditions, postoperative aesthetic scores, and recurrence rates of the two groups of patients. For normally distributed measurement data, inter-group comparison was done via independent-sample t-test. For non-normally distributed data, Mann-Whitney U test was applied. Comparisons of composition ratios or rates were performed using the χ2 test or Fisher′s exact probability method. Results:A total of 44 patients with thyroglossal duct cysts who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included, including 22 males and 22 females, aged from 3 to 73 years old. Both the robotic surgery group and the open surgery group had respectively 22 cases. The maximum diameter of tumors of the open surgery group was 3.45(2.50, 4.00) cm, while the robotic surgery group measured 2.50 (2.10, 3.20) cm, with the open group demonstrating significantly larger tumor dimensions compared to the robotic group ( Z=-2.329, P<0.05). Compared to the open surgery group, the robotic surgery group showed significantly more surgical time [105.00 (95.00, 135.00) min vs. 65.00(58.75, 76.25) min, Z=-5.377, P<0.05], postoperative hospitalization time [4.00 (3.75, 5.00) days vs. 3.00(2.00, 4.00) days, Z=-3.202, P<0.05] and bleeding volume [20.00 (10.00, 20.00) ml vs. 5.00 (5.00, 10.00) ml, Z=-4.769, P<0.05], but had less scar length [0 cm vs. 4.00 (2.00, 5.00) cm, Z=-6.097, P<0.05] and better postoperative cosmetic satisfaction [10.00 (10.00, 10.00) vs. 8.00 (6.75, 8.00), Z=-5.221, P<0.05]. With follow-up of 10.0-48.0 months, both the robotic surgery group and the open surgery group showed no recurrence. There was no significant difference in the follow-up time between the two groups ( Z=-0.224, P=0.823). Conclusion:Gasless transoral vestibular robotic surgery is safe and feasible for the treatment of thyroglossal duct cysts, with efficacy comparable to traditional surgery, which can provide a new option for the treatment of thyroglossal duct cysts.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (NACI) combined with transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in the treatment of locally advanced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC).Methods:This was a retrospective study of 15 patients with locally advanced OPSCC who underwent TORS after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) at the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from April 2019 to February 2023. There were 12 males and 3 females, aged 31 to 74 years. Twelve cases were tonsil cancer, and 3 cases were tongue base cancer. There were 11 cases in stage Ⅲ and 4 cases in stage Ⅳ. Two patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and 13 patients received NACI, with 2 to 3 cycles, and all patients underwent TORS after multidisciplinary team consultation. The clinicopathological characteristics, surgical outcomes, and oncological results were summarized.Results:All surgeries were successfully completed with negative surgical margins, and no case was required conversion surgery. All patients were fed via nasogastric tubes postoperatively, with a median gastric tube stay of 7 days (range: 2-60 days). No tracheotomy was applied. There were no major complications such as postoperative bleeding. Pathological complete response (pCR) was found in 10 cases (76.9%) among the 13 patients with NACI. The follow-up time was 21 months (range: 10-47 months), and there was no death or distant metastasis. One patient with rT0N3M0 tonsil cancer had local recurrence 5 months after surgery. The 2-year overall survival and 2-year disease-free survival were respectively 100.0% and 93.3% in the 15 patients.Conclusion:NACI combined with TORS provides a safe, effective and minimally invasive treatment for patients with locally advanced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective:To investigate the preliminary efficacy of 3D printed individualized genioglossus advancement (GA) for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults with micrognathia.Methods:The OSA patients with retropalatal and retroglossal collapses due to micrognathia underwent 3D printed individualized GA combined with Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty(UPPP) in Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University. Clinical data including pre-and post-operative polysomnography (PSG), cephalometric measurements of genioglossus advancement, patient-reported symptom and surgical complications were collected. A comparison of pre-and post-operative data was conducted using paired t-tests. Results:Nineteen OSA patients with micrognathia successfully underwent 3D printed individualized GA combined with UPPP, and achieved an actual mean genioglossus advancement distance of (9.0±1.4) mm compared to the planned distance of (9.4±1.0) mm preoperatively ( t=0.81, P=0.427). Among the 14 patients followed up for more than 6 months, the mean AHI reduced by 60.4% at 6 months postoperatively, with 5 cases (5/14) cured and 5 cases (5/14) showing significant improvement, resulting in an overall surgical response rate of 10/14. All patients expressed satisfaction with their postoperative facial appearance, with 13 cases perceiving an improvement in attractiveness. Two patients reported temporary genial numbness, and one patient experienced temporary mandibular occlusal asthenia. Conclusion:The 3D printed individualized GA combined with UPPP effectively reduces AHI in adult OSA patients with micrognathia, accompanied by a low incidence of surgical complications and high patient satisfaction regarding postoperative facial appearance.

Objective:This study aimed to explore the safety and feasibility of gasless transoral vestibular robotic resection of thyroglossal duct cysts. Methods:The clinical data of patients who underwent gasless transoral vestibular robotic resection of thyroglossal duct cysts at the Department of otolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun yat-sen university from September 2020 to May 2022 were analyzed. The operative time, blood loss, postoperative complications, postoperative pain score, postoperative aesthetic score, and recurrence were prospectively evaluated. Results:All patients completed the operation successfully and no case conversed to an open operation. The operation time was 104.00（95.00, 131.25） minutes, and the surgical blood loss was 15.00（10.00, 16.25） mL. The drainage volume was（59.71±9.20） mL. Postoperative pathology was consistent with thyroglossal duct cysts. There was no local reswelling, subcutaneous hematoma, emphysema, skin flap necrosis, infection and other complications. The postoperative hospital stay was 3.00（2.00, 3.00） days. Six patients had mild sensory abnormalities of the lower lip 3 months after surgery, and all patients were satisfied with the cosmetic outcomes. No recurrence was found during the 5-26 months follow-up. Conclusion:gasless transoral vestibular robotic resection of thyroglossal duct cysts is safe and feasible, with hidden postoperative scars and good cosmetic outcomes. It can provide a new choice for patients with thyroglossal duct cysts.
Humans ; Robotic Surgical Procedures ; Thyroglossal Cyst/pathology* ; Postoperative Complications ; Cicatrix/pathology* ; Pain, Postoperative

Objective To study the diagnostic value of abdominal ultrasound for neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Method Neonates diagnosed with NEC admitted to Department of Shengjing Hospital from January 2016 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. They were assigned into NEC stage Ⅱ group and NEC stage Ⅲ group based on the modified Bell-NEC grading criteria. Meanwhile, according to the timing of imaging examination, the patients were assigned into the group within 7 days after the onset of NEC and the group between 8 and 14 days. They were then grouped into conservative treatment group and surgery group. The difference between abdominal X-ray plain film and abdominal ultrasound in the performance of diagnosing NEC within groups were compared. Result A total of 60 patients with NEC were studied, including 38 with NEC stage Ⅱand 22 with NEC stage Ⅲ, among them 14 patients underwent surgery, others had conservative treatment. The average gestational age was (33.3±3.2) weeks and the average birth weight was (2047±831) g. The positive detection rate of pneumatosis intestinalis and hepatic portal venous gas by abdominal ultrasound vs. X-ray plain film in≤7 d group were 38.3％ (23/60) vs. 15.0％ (9/60) (P=0.004) and 15.0％(9/60) vs. 1.7％ (1/60) (P=0.008), respectively, indicating the positive detection rate of abdominal ultrasound was significantly higher than that of X-ray within 7 d after the onset of NEC. However, there was no significant difference in the detection rate between abdominal ultrasound and abdominal X-ray 8～14 d after the onset of NEC (P>0.05). The detection rate of intestinal wall thickening and peritoneal effusion by abdominal ultrasound together with the detection rate of intestinal dilatation and free gas in abdominal cavity by abdominal X-ray plain film in the conservative treatment group were significantly lower than those in the surgery group (P<0.05). Conclusion Abdominal ultrasound can help detecting the characteristic features of NEC (pneumatosis intestinalis and hepatic portal venous gas) in time, which has great value for early diagnosis and assessing severity.

Objective To explore the feasibility and guiding value of point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) in evaluating gastric residual volume (GRV) in the course of implementing enteral nutrition (EN) in patients with neurological critical illness. Methods Ninety patients with critical neurological diseases necessary for EN were admitted to the Department of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Taizhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine from March 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018 were selected, and they were randomly divided into a GRV extraction group (control group) and a PoCUS GRV group (study group), 45 patients in each group. Both groups were fed with Ruidai nutrient solution by nasogastric pump at a rate of 18 hours per day to persistently administer the target feeding volume for consecutive 7 days. The differences in tolerance of EN, the incidence of feeding interruption, the daily volume of EN fluid, the ratio of reaching total enteral nutrition (TEN) and the levels of serum albumin (Alb), prealbumin (PA) and prognosis were compared between the two groups. Results The incidences of reflux and wrong aspiration in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group [8.9% (4/45) vs. 24.4% (11/45) and 4.4% (2/45) vs. 17.8% (8/45), both P < 0.05]. The EN liquid volume, ratio of reaching TEN, Alb and PA levels in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group [EN liquid volume (mL/d): 944.6±277.1 vs. 783.7±230.5, the ratio of TEN: 86.7% (39/45) vs. 68.9% (31/45), Alb (g/L): 30.6±3.0 vs. 29.4±2.4, PA (g/L): 280.5±31.8 vs. 267.7±28.4, all P < 0.05]. The incidence of diarrhea [15.6% (7/45) vs. 13.3% (6/45)], the incidence of feeding interruption [8.9% (4/45) vs. 13.3% (6/45)], the length of stay in ICU (days: 10.4±6.2 vs. 8.3 ±5.4), the mortality [8.9% (4/45) vs. 13.3% (6/45)] had no significant differences between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Conclusion Evaluating GRV by PoCUS to adjust EN implementation plan can reduce the incidences of reflux and wrong aspiration and increase the EN intake.