Outside the Cage (OTC) Robotic Esophagectomy

"Consenting patients will undergo minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) using the Out of the Cage (OTC) robotic-assisted technique. The procedure will follow the exact standard steps of traditional VATS/RATS esophagectomy, except the thoracic ports will be placed in the subcostal plane. The number of ports (1-4) will be determined based on the patient and case characteristics.~The Da Vinci Xi® surgical system will be used to perform the thoracic portion of the esophagectomy through subcostal ports using the standard technique. Once the procedure is completed, the robotic arms and ports will be removed from the chest, and figure-of-8 stitches with non-absorbable sutures will be placed to close the diaphragm at the port sites. A 24 Fr soft chest tube will be left in place, as per standard VATS/RATS esophagectomy protocols. Incisions will be closed in the standard manner."