Robotic endoscopic submucosal dissection and full-thickness excision for laterally spreading tumors of the rectum

Abstract

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is technically demanding and time-consuming. Moreover, it bears a high risk of adverse events compared to other endoscopic methods, due to the lack of tissue manipulation. Robotic technology can significantly reduce the time of the procedure and increase the rate of complete resection for ESD. In the case of an unclear deep margin it allows to proceed to the full-thickness excision of the bowel wall. While the gain over transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) is limited today, the longer systems currently under development will allow these complex procedures to be performed at least in the left side of the colon. The Supplementary video shows the application of the Flex Robotic System to perform an ESD and a full-thickness excision.