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PURPOSE: Robotic surgery may be particularly well suited for solid chest masses. In this paper, we present our initial experience by using robotic surgery to resect mediastinal masses in children. METHODS: Five pediatric patients with an average age of 9.8 years (range, 2-17) and an average weight of 41.5 kg (range, 13.9-70.5) underwent a robotic resection of a mediastinal chest mass using the da Vinci Surgical Robot (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA). RESULTS: Operative time ranged from 44 to 156 minutes, with an average of 113 minutes. The pathology varied considerably and included a ganglioneuroma, ganglioneuroblastoma, teratoma, germ cell tumor, and a large inflammatory mass of unclear etiology. No complications or conversions occurred. Average length of hospitalization was 1.4 days. Follow-up averaged 2 years, with no evidence of recurrence in any patient. CONCLUSIONS: Robotic surgery is safe and effective for resecting solid mediastinal chest masses. The articulating instruments are particularly helpful for dissecting around a solid mass within the rigid thoracic cavity.
Meehan et al. (Fri,) studied this question.