For most patients, minimally invasive thoracic procedures performed can offer numerous benefits over open-chest surgery. With the use of robotic surgery, thymectomy and other thoracic procedures can be performed through 1-2 centimeter incisions, without spreading or cutting the breastbone or ribs, thereby minimizing blood loss, pain and scarring.
Over 50 robotic thoracic surgeries are performed each year, in addition to the more than 300 operations our thoracic surgeons perform thoracoscopically a year. With robotic-assisted surgery, a wider range of patients can now be offered surgery who otherwise would not be a candidate for a surgical cure.
Robotic thoracic procedures available at Piedmont include:
- Thymectomy
- Lung lobectomy
- Lung wedge resection
- Esophageal myotomy
- Esophagogastrectomy
- Mediastinal tumor resection
- Hiatal and paraesophageal hernia repair
- Insertion of diaphragmatic pacing leads
- Intrathoracic cyst removal
Thoracic conditions and diseases treated with robotic surgery include:
- Benign lung disease
- Lung cancer
- Lung metastasis
- Esophageal cancer
- Benign esophageal disease
- Hiatal and paraesophageal hernia
- Acid reflux
- Achalasia
- Benign tumors of the esophagus
- Mediastinal masses
- Respiratory failure secondary to ALS/Lou-Gherig’s Disease or spinal cord injury
Studies suggest that this less invasive approach to thoracic surgery can greatly improve recovery time, pain and discomfort associated with thoracic surgery.