History and Acceptance of Transoral Robotic Surgery.

The development and acceptance of transoral robotic surgery from an experimental procedure to widespread acceptance in the management of head and neck cancers and other disease states occurred over the course of about a decade, from 2005 to 2015. Transoral robotic surgery has cemented its' place in the treatment of pharyngeal and laryngeal cancer. Education and training was key to broad use and acceptance. This article traces the history and evolution of transoral robotic surgery to its current practice. The process of surgical innovation in this arena is followed from early cadaveric studies to recent large systemic reviews of outcomes.