Surg J R Coll Surg E
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Surg J R Coll Surg E · Jun 2017
ReviewRole of transoral robotic surgery in current head & neck practice.
Morbidity and mortality associated with increasingly radical doses of chemoradiotherapy have led many to question the current standard of care in head and neck cancer. Recently, surgeons have developed minimally invasive, transoral techniques which have demonstrated excellent survival and favourable functional outcomes. Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) is the most recent, cutting edge in the evolution of transoral techniques; TORS allows surgeons unprecedented access to and visualisation of the upper aerodigestive tract. ⋯ Surgical care for upper aerodigestive tract cancers has changed dramatically over the last three decades with technological advances in tumour imaging and resection. Recent advances in mechanical instrumentation and energy devices allow surgeons to remove head and neck cancers transorally; it is only rarely that the extrinsic muscles of the neck and the tongue are involved and the transoral route leads to reduced disruption of the external musculature, quicker recovery and a better functional outcome. In this review we will focus exclusively on the advances in transoral robotic surgery which have transformed the shape of resective head and neck cancer surgery.