Transoral robotic surgery

Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) is a modern surgical technique used to treat tumors of the throat via direct access through the mouth.

This technique has gained popularity thanks to its wristed instruments and magnified three-dimensional view, enhancing surgical comfort and precision in remote-access areas.

Current TORS indications include excision of tumors of the oropharynx (tonsils, soft palate, base of tongue, posterior pharyngeal wall), hypopharynx and larynx (epiglottis...).

[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] They proved the efficacy of the TORS procedures for cancer treatment, with fewer complications and shorter hospital stays as compared to the established otolaryngological techniques of open surgical resection and some conventional endoscopic surgery.

[14][15][16] Dr. Erica Thaler, also at the University of Pennsylvania, researched the applications of the TORS approach to patients with obstructive sleep apnea, and published her work in 2016.

TORS provides an excellent alternative to radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy and traditional open surgeries for some selected cases of pharyngeal and laryngeal cancers.

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are associated with long-term, potentially harmful toxicities, and open surgeries are highly invasive and prone to serious complications and extended hospital stays.

[7] There are ongoing clinical trials collecting data on TORS, but numerous studies have repeatedly shown it to be both safe and effective in treating malignant tumors of the head and neck.

The current literature indicates that the TORS technique results in less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, and lower complication rates than open surgery.

Fewer patients develop major complications, which include hemorrhage, deep venous thrombosis, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, asphyxia or death.