CASE REPORT article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Surgery
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1679015
Robotic-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery for Esophageal Duplication Cyst in a Child: A Rare Case Report and Literature Insight
Provisionally accepted
- Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
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Introduction: Esophageal duplication cyst (EDC) is a rare congenital anomaly originating from the embryonic foregut. While often asymptomatic, it can present with respiratory symptoms due to compression. We report a rare pediatric case successfully managed using robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS), highlighting the technique's utility in addressing this uncommon foregut malformation. Presentation of Case: An 8-year-old male child, born at term, presented with one week of intermittent left-sided chest pain, bloating, and nausea. Chest radiography demonstrated a high-density mediastinal shadow. Subsequent chest positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and ultrasound (US) revealed a left posterior mediastinal paraspinal cystic mass, necessitating surgical resection. The lesion was diagnosed as an esophageal duplication cyst based on the post-operative pathological report. Discussion: EDC is a rare congenital condition that can become life-threatening due to compression of vital mediastinal structures, particularly the large airways. Non-invasive imaging modalities, including chest radiography, CT, and US, are essential for diagnosis. Surgical intervention is universally indicated to preempt serious complications. RATS has recently emerged as a promising approach, leveraging its technical advantages for this complex procedure. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, the present case represents a unique and extremely rare report of EDC management via the Da Vinci robotic surgical system for a pediatric patient in China. The successful application demonstrates the safety and feasibility of RATS for pediatric EDC, expanding the evidence base for this minimally invasive approach.
Keywords: Esophageal duplication cyst, Child, congenital, robotic surgery, Thoracoscopy, case report
Received: 04 Aug 2025; Accepted: 22 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Shu, Zhang, Gao, Wang and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xiaohui Wang, 7655100@qq.com
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