Recently, the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Shanghai Children's Medical Center, affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, successfully performed a giant mediastinal tumor resection on a 12-year-old patient using a domestically produced single-port robotic system. This marks China's first pediatric thoracic surgery performed with a single-port snake-arm robot, signifying an innovative application of domestically developed surgical robotics in the field of pediatric minimally invasive thoracic surgery.

The 12-year-old patient, nicknamed Chuchu, was found on preoperative examination to have a giant tumor measuring 7×6×5 cm in the left anterior superior mediastinum. The tumor was closely adjacent to the pericardium, thymus, and major mediastinal blood vessels, with complex anatomical relationships that posed extremely high surgical risks. Traditional open thoracic surgery involves significant trauma, considerable blood loss, and slow postoperative recovery; conventional thoracoscopy in the narrow pediatric chest cavity is hindered by rigid instruments and limited maneuverability and visualization, making it difficult to meet the demands of precise minimally invasive surgery. To address this high-difficulty case, Chief Physician Dr. Sun Yanjun's team conducted a thorough evaluation and decided to use the domestically produced single-port robotic system for the procedure. The system is equipped with articulating snake-like surgical instruments that enable multi-angle, high-precision manipulation within confined body cavities—with 3D high-definition visualization providing over 10× magnification and clear anatomical delineation, making it particularly suitable for the small chest cavity and delicate organs of pediatric patients. During the surgery, the team made only a single approximately 3 cm incision on the patient's body surface to insert the robotic operating arm. With the assistance of a flexible endoscope, they precisely exposed the tumor and its surrounding vital structures. Leveraging the robotic system's superior dexterity and stability beyond human capability, the surgeons successfully dissected the tumor adhesions and completely resected the tumor. The entire procedure resulted in only about 10 mL of blood loss, with no intraoperative complications. The patient's postoperative vital signs remained stable and recovery was smooth.

According to Dr. Sun Yanjun, compared to imported equipment, the domestically produced single-port robotic system offers advantages including lower cost, better instrument compatibility, and reduced body surface trauma, making it more suitable for pediatric minimally invasive surgical applications. The success of this surgery fully validates the safety, efficacy, and precision of domestically produced robotic systems in complex pediatric thoracic procedures, opening new pathways for minimally invasive treatment of pediatric mediastinal tumors, thymic diseases, pulmonary lesions, and other conditions.

To date, the hospital has completed nearly 260 domestic single-port robotic surgeries (including earlier clinical research), covering more than ten surgical procedures. This technology has now been extended to multiple pediatric medical institutions in Beijing, Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, and other cities. The "Robotic Surgery Innovation and Demonstration Center" established within the hospital is also providing systematic, standardized training for peers nationwide, promoting the broader adoption and advancement of single-port robotic surgery techniques. Looking ahead, Shanghai Children's Medical Center will continue to advance the application and innovation of domestically produced surgical robots across various pediatric surgical subspecialties, enabling more children to benefit from the minimally invasive technologies of "Created in China."