To report the feasibility of Medrobotics Flex® System for laryngeal surgery.

Cadaver study in research laboratory.

The Medrobotics Flex System was utilized with the Medrobotics Flex Retractor to evaluate robotic laryngeal surgery in a cadaver model. Two surgeons using two cadavers tested the robotic system to expose the larynx and facilitate robotic airway surgery using the Flex Instruments. In both cadavers, these procedures were performed transorally with excellent visualization: supraglottoplasty, arytenoidectomy, epiglottectomy, vocal cord lesion excision, posterior cordotomy, hemilaryngectomy, and endoscopic anterior/posterior cricoid split. Laryngeal cleft repair was limited by availability of suture to close the interarytenoid band. Laryngeal exposure was rated as “excellent” by both surgeons using the robotic platform.

Robotic surgery for the head and neck, while still in relative infancy, remains one of the newest platforms for the otolaryngologist. Currently available robotic platforms, while adapted to head and neck and airway surgery, were not designed for this purpose and pose challenges in size and accessibility to the larynx. The Flex System is specifically designed for head and neck and laryngeal surgery. This system provides outstanding visualization of hard to access areas in the larynx and hypopharynx. The flexible surgical instruments used with the Flex System allow for reasonable surgical exposure and technique. The Flex System may provide an improved robotic experience for transoral laryngeal and head and neck surgery.

Roy S, Naqvi SHS, Karni RJ. Medrobotics Flex System for Laryngeal Surgery: A Feasible Study in Two Cadavers. Int J Head Neck Surg 2016;7(4):204-206.