Robot-assisted thoracoscopic lung resection aimed at solo surgery for primary lung cancer.

The surgical robotic system has been advanced as a tool that enables surgeons to perform precision operations of high quality. Many reports have been presented in cardiovascular surgery using the robotic system, but its use is uncommon in general thoracic surgery. We describe our two experiences with single-surgeon video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy for primary lung cancer using a remote-controlled robot, named Naviot, to manipulate an endoscope. We believe that Naviot might be one of the robotic devices whose use could lead to solo surgery, even for complicated thoracoscopic procedures such as anatomical pulmonary resections with lymph node dissection.