OMU Performs Black Sea Region’s First Robot-Assisted Lung Cancer Surgery

A thoracic surgery team at OMU Faculty of Medicine Hospital performed a robotic lobectomy on a 57-year-old patient with a tumor in the lower lobe of the right lung using the da Vinci Surgical System.

The first robot-assisted lung surgery in the field of thoracic surgery in Türkiye’s Black Sea Region has been successfully performed at Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) Faculty of Medicine Hospital.

Led by Prof. Dr. Burçin Çelik of the Department of Thoracic Surgery, the surgical team performed a robotic lobectomy on a 57-year-old male patient with a tumor located in the lower lobe of the right lung.

The procedure was carried out using the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System, recently introduced at OMU Faculty of Medicine Hospital as part of the University’s expansion of advanced minimally invasive surgical services.

The system will be used through a multidisciplinary approach across several specialties, including general surgery, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, thoracic surgery, pediatric surgery, and otorhinolaryngology (ENT).

As the first surgical robot introduced among universities in the Black Sea Region, the system is also expected to reduce the need for patients to travel outside the region for certain advanced surgical procedures.

“Its Use Is Increasing as Technology Advances”

Prof. Dr. Burçin Çelik said the Department of Thoracic Surgery plans to use the robotic system for appropriately selected surgical conditions involving the lungs, mediastinum, thymus, and esophagus.

“With advances in technology, robotic surgery is being used increasingly frequently,” Çelik said. “As in many parts of the world, it has been actively used in thoracic surgery in Türkiye over the past decade.”

He explained that robot-assisted thoracic procedures are a form of minimally invasive surgery.

“Robotic surgery is particularly used in the surgical treatment of lung cancer and in diseases affecting the mediastinum, the area located between the two lungs,” he said.

Robotic Surgery Can Be Used in a Wide Range of Thoracic Procedures

Explaining which patients may be suitable for robotic thoracic surgery, Çelik emphasized the importance of careful patient selection.

“Robotic surgery is a minimally invasive technique in which the surgeon controls robotic arms with a high degree of precision from a console,” he said.

He noted that robotic technology may be considered for many thoracic surgical procedures, provided the disease or lesion is suitable for a minimally invasive approach.

“The most important consideration is whether the lesion can reasonably be removed through minimally invasive surgery,” Çelik said. “Robotic surgery should not be preferred for lesions that are not suitable for a minimally invasive approach.”

Potential applications include the diagnostic or therapeutic removal of pulmonary nodules, surgical treatment of early-stage lung cancer, and procedures for benign and malignant tumors of the thymus.

The system can also be used in selected cases involving congenital mediastinal lesions, neurogenic tumors, germ-cell tumors, benign and malignant esophageal tumors, and tumors of the diaphragm and chest wall.

“The Robotic System Gives the Surgeon an Enhanced View of the Surgical Field”

Çelik also explained some of the differences between robotic and conventional open thoracic surgery.
 
“Robotic instruments are highly precise and offer a wide range of motion, making surgical procedures easier even in confined anatomical spaces,” he said.

The system provides surgeons with a three-dimensional view of the operative field, helping them assess anatomical depth and distinguish delicate structures.

“This makes it easier to reach areas that can otherwise be difficult to access and facilitates precise tissue dissection,” Çelik said.

He added that, in appropriately selected patients, robotic surgery may be associated with reduced blood loss, less postoperative pain, faster recovery, and a lower risk of certain complications compared with conventional open surgery.

“These advantages can mean shorter hospital stays, less postoperative discomfort, and an earlier return to daily life for patients,” he said.

Prof. Dr. Büyükkarabacak: “Robotic Surgery Is Applied to Appropriately Selected Patients”

Prof. Dr. Yasemin Büyükkarabacak, Chair of the OMU Department of Thoracic Surgery, said the introduction of the robotic system represented an important development for both patients and physicians.

“As the Department of Thoracic Surgery, we have only recently begun performing robotic surgery because the robotic system has just been introduced at our University,” she said.

Büyükkarabacak explained that the department can use the system in appropriately selected procedures involving lung surgery, esophageal surgery, mediastinal surgery, and diseases of the mediastinum and thymus.

She also highlighted the system's visualization capabilities.

“One of the advantages of our robotic surgical system is that it allows us to operate with up to 10-fold magnification,” she said.

She added that minimally invasive robotic procedures can help reduce postoperative pain and support earlier discharge in appropriately selected patients.

“Robotic surgical procedures are performed in patients for whom the technique is appropriate and correctly indicated,” Büyükkarabacak emphasized.

The team performing OMU’s first robotic thoracic surgery also included Dr. Gökhan Pirzirenli and the operating room staff, who contributed to the procedure.

The successful operation marks another step in implementing OMU’s new robotic surgery program and expands access to advanced minimally invasive thoracic procedures for patients in the Black Sea Region.