Repair of the descending thoracic aorta using minimally invasive endoscopic Robot-assisted surgery: a feasibility study with the DaVinci XI system in a cadaver model.

Development of minimally invasive techniques has led to the clinical routine application of Robot-assisted surgery. Here, we demonstrate for the first time Robotic-assisted surgery (DaVinci XI) of the descending thoracic aorta in a Thiel cadaver model and discuss its potential value in the endovascular era.