Place de la chirurgie robotique dans les pathologies tumorales thoraciques.

Videothoracoscopy (VTC) has found its place in minimally invasive thoracic surgery, with a wide range of indications: mediastinal conditions (myasthenia gravis, thymoma, neurogenic tumours) and lung diseases (lung cancer, lung metastases). VTC has also enabled the development of robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RAV). VTC and RAV enable closed thoracic surgical procedures to be performed, but with different tools. The post-operative objectives are the same: reduction in morbidity and mortality rates, early rehabilitation, improvement in quality of life and improvements in long-term results. The short- and medium-term results of both of these techniques are also the same. RAV has seen considerable developments in France in terms of its indications, surgical volume and its distribution across numerous academic and private centres. Some exereses would be more simplistic, and likely to be more reproducible from a technical point of view via RAV than with VTC. For example: mediastinal exereses and pulmonary segmentectomies, where RAV appears to be a more appropriate route than VTC. The cost of robotics in thoracic surgery is yet to be determined compared with classic minimally invasive surgery, but any difference is not likely to put a stop to its development. Finally, RAV has teaching implications through simulations and also the integration of modern imaging techniques, which will allow better preparation for the surgical procedure and ensure it is as safe as ultimately possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]