Otolaryngologic clinics of North America
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Minimally invasive skull base surgery has advanced substantially with the advent of endoscopic technology, novel instrumentation, and intraoperative image-guidance capabilities. Robotic technology has been accepted into the surgeon's armamentarium, with its implementation into abdominal, thoracic, and head and neck surgery. However, the application of surgical robotics to the skull base has yet to be achieved. This article highlights current preclinical research and applications of robotic surgery to the skull base.
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Otolaryngol. Clin. North Am. · Jun 2014
ReviewTransoral robotic sleep surgery: the obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome.
Nocturnal upper airway collapse is often multi-level in nature but typically will involve some degree of obstruction at the level of the tongue-base. Several surgical procedures have been developed in recent years to address this area in patients resistant to continuous positive airway pressure. This article outlines a novel way to treat obstructive sleep apnea lingual obstruction using the da Vinci robotic surgical system. This technique offers significant potential advantages over other established approaches and it should be included in the surgical armamentarium of sleep surgeons.