To Cut (Minimally Invasively) Is to Cure: Robotic Lobectomy for Pulmonary Mucormycosis

Abstract

Pulmonary mucormycosis is a rapidly progressive and highly morbid disease commonly found in immunosuppressed patients. Rapid diagnosis and treatment are essential, with thoracotomy and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery techniques previously described for surgical resection of infected lobes. Here we present the case of a patient with acute myeloid leukemia and nonresolving <i>Mucor</i> pneumonia treated with robotic left upper lobectomy. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and significant clinical improvement, thereby demonstrating the feasibility of the robotic approach in treating patients with invasive fungal infections of the lung.