Current Advances in Robotics for Head and Neck Surgery—A Systematic Review

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The means of therapy in oncologic diseases have been developing continuously over the past years, intending to improve the overall survival and quality of life of affected patients. In head and neck oncology the surgical therapy is one of the key pillars in curative treatment. The standardized surgical techniques are supplemented and improved by the application of technical devices. The ambition is the reduction in peri- and postoperative morbidity, hospitalization time, and the enhancement of functional outcome. In other surgical specialties, the application of robotics is widely seen as standard. The purpose of this review is to outline the current status of robotics in head and neck surgery in the context of the present literature, to demonstrate reasonable application fields, and to discuss the expenditure of the usage of such tools. Furthermore, this review offers an overview of current research in this field. ABSTRACT: Background. In the past few years, surgical robots have recently entered the medical field, particularly in urology, gynecology, and general surgery. However, the clinical effectiveness and safety of robot-assisted surgery (RAS) in the field of head and neck surgery has not been clearly established. In this review, we evaluate to what extent RAS can potentially be applied in head and neck surgery, in which fields it is already daily routine and what advantages can be seen in comparison to conventional surgery. Data sources. For this purpose, we conducted a systematic review of trials published between 2000 and 2021, as well as currently ongoing trials registered in clinicaltrials.gov. The results were structured according to anatomical regions, for the topics “Costs,” “current clinical trials,” and “robotic research” we added separate sections for the sake of clarity. Results. Our findings show a lack of large-scale systematic randomized trials on the use of robots in head and neck surgery. Most studies include small case series or lack a control arm which enables a comparison with established standard procedures. Conclusion. The question of financial reimbursement is still not answered and the systems on the market still require some specific improvements for the use in head and neck surgery.