Transoral robotic surgery

Surgical robotics is a rapidly developing field. The application of robotic technology to head and neck procedures potentially offers patients alternatives to conventional open surgical procedures with decreased morbidity. Additionally, transoral robotic surgery (TORS) may extend minimally invasive head and neck surgery beyond transoral laser microsurgery with the ability to work around corners while avoiding certain line-of-site limitations. This article describes the history of TORS including original laboratory data, early clinical data, and a description of technical aspects of the procedures.