ReviewJournal of robotic surgery2026
The evolution of robotic-assisted thoracic surgery: current platforms, emerging technologies, and future perspectives - a narrative review.
Review in Journal of robotic surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) has undergone rapid technological evolution over the past two decades, progressively expanding from early minimally invasive applications to increasingly complex thoracic procedures. This narrative review examines the historical development of robotic platforms in thoracic surgery, the emergence of new approaches and alternative robotic systems, and future technological perspectives. A literature search was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant English-language publications through May 2026. Early robotic systems established the feasibility of robotic thoracic procedures, particularly mediastinal surgery and selected pulmonary resections, while also defining the technical limitations that shaped early practice, including demanding docking, arm-collision issues, dependence on bedside assistance, and lack of console-controlled stapling. The da Vinci Xi refined multiport robotic surgery through improved arm design, overhead boom architecture, simplified docking, and integrated stapling, supporting greater standardization and broader adoption of robotic thoracic surgery. In parallel, reduced-port approaches, including biportal and uniportal RATS, emerged through technical adaptation of existing platforms. The da Vinci SP introduced a dedicated single-port architecture, whereas the da Vinci 5 represents a further step toward haptic feedback and data-driven robotic surgery. Emerging systems such as Versius, Hugo RAS, Toumai, and Shurui SP reflect a diversifying robotic landscape, with modular, portable, and lower-cost design, that may influence future access and adoption. Future developments include artificial intelligence, augmented reality, digital twins, autonomous assistance, and remote surgery. Overall, robotic thoracic surgery is evolving from a purely mechanical platform toward a more integrated digital surgical environment, although the clinical impact, accessibility, training requirements, and long-term benefits of many emerging technologies remain to be fully established.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.