The Potential and the Limitations of Esophageal Robotic Surgery in Children.
Pierre Alexandre FerreroThomas BlancAurélien BinetAlexis ArnaudOlivier AbboFabrizio VattaArnaud BonnardGrazia SpampinatoHubert LardyLaurent FourcadeQuentin BallouheyPublished in: European journal of pediatric surgery : official journal of Austrian Association of Pediatric Surgery ... [et al] = Zeitschrift fur Kinderchirurgie (2020)
Aside from accessibility issues with the robotic platform, the main limitation is still very much that the low body weight of children results in incompatibility between the size of the trocars and the size of the intercostal space. ERATS is clearly a feasible procedure with technical advantages for most pediatric cases with body weights more than 15 kg. A transdiaphragmatic abdominal approach should be considered for lower esophagus surgery.