Robotic selective neck dissection by a postauricular facelift approach: Comparison with conventional neck dissection

Abstract

Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of robot-assisted neck dissection by a postauricular facelift approach in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), compared with conventional neck dissection. Study Design. Case series with chart review. Setting. University tertiary care hospital. Subjects and Methods. Thirty HNSCC patients with clinically node negative necks (cN0) who underwent robot-assisted selective neck dissection (SND) by a postauricular facelift approach (11 patients, 12 necks) or conventional neck dissection (19 patients, 21 necks). Results. The mean age was lower in the robotic group (P = .030). However, the distributions of gender and TNM stage did not differ between the two groups. The robotic SND was completed successfully in all patients. The mean operative time was longer in the robotic group (215 ± 56 min) than the conventional group (144 ± 43 min) (P