What did the first robotic assisted thoracic outlet decompression surgery in South Africa involve?

In the thoracic outlet decompression surgery that was performed, a rib of the patient who was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome was removed. The nerves and blood vessels to the patient’s right arm were being pinched between his first right rib and his collarbone, impeding sensation, motion, and drainage of blood from his arm.

The first thoracic outlet decompression surgery performed in South Africa

The robotic technology made it possible for Dr Van der Merwe to gently and precisely remove the top rib on the right hand side of the chest, to relieve the compression of the nerves, instead of cutting through sensitive muscles above his collarbone to sensitive muscles to remove the rib in open surgery.