Recent advances in robot-assisted head and neck surgery.

OBJECTIVE

This article reviews current clinical applications and experimental developments for robotic surgery in the head and neck with special focus on financial challenges, current clinical trials, and the controversial aspect of haptic and tactile feedback.

DATA SOURCES

Literature was screened using the pubmed library. Information on clinical trials was excerpted from the National Institute of Health database. Additional data on experimental developments were gathered by personal communication.

RESULTS

A steep increase in clinical applications for robotic surgery in the head and neck is determined as possible indications extend. Clinical trials are mostly non-randomized. A wide range of new robotic systems are expected to come into clinical use in the near future.

CONCLUSION

As head and neck surgeons become more familiar with robotic surgery some patients evidently benefit from new technologies. Increased competition between the systems will certainly drive technological improvement and decrease the financial burden. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.