Papers
78
Total Citations
2,987
H-Index
23
About
Franca Melfi is a pioneering thoracic surgeon whose career has been defined by her groundbreaking contributions to robotic and minimally invasive surgery. As one of the earliest adopters of robotic technology in thoracoscopic procedures, she helped establish the foundational techniques that now define the field. Her 2002 paper on early robotic thoracoscopic experience, garnering nearly 400 citations, marked a watershed moment in surgical innovation, while her subsequent work on four-arm robotic lobectomy and long-term oncologic outcomes for non-small cell lung cancer cemented her reputation as a global authority in robotic pulmonary surgery. Melfi's influence extends beyond lung cancer, with notable contributions to robotic thymectomy for thymoma — validated through landmark multicenter European studies — and even robotic renal transplantation, demonstrating remarkable breadth across surgical specialties. Her decade-long single-center experience in mediastinal robotic surgery, combined with rigorous analyses of learning curves and complications, has provided invaluable guidance to surgeons worldwide adopting these technologies. With a body of work collectively accumulating nearly 2,000 citations, Melfi's research has fundamentally shaped how minimally invasive robotic surgery is taught, practiced, and understood across Europe and beyond.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Early experience with robotic technology for thoracoscopic surgery387 citations · 2002
- 2Technical review of the da Vinci surgical telemanipulator316 citations · 2012
- 3Four-arm robotic lobectomy for the treatment of early-stage lung cancer302 citations · 2009
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- 6Robotically Assisted Lobectomy: Learning Curve and Complications126 citations · 2008
- 7Robotic renal transplantation: first European case124 citations · 2010
- 8Multi-institutional European experience of robotic thymectomy for thymoma.74 citations · 2016
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- 10Experience with Robotic Lobectomy for Lung Cancer67 citations · 2011