After again leaving Korea thankful, with deep gratitude for the generosity of colleagues, the openness with which surgical knowledge was shared, and the extraordinary academic environment surrounding robotic neck surgery, the experience was also accompanied by unexpected Korean press coverage, which further reflects the interest that SPRA (Single-Port Robotic Areolar) surgery is generating.
As promised, this post finally presents the technical details of the SPRA approach.
This is a technical note written for surgeons. It includes intraoperative iconography, and it is intended as an educational resource. Therefore, access is open. The goal is to share a reproducible technique, grounded in anatomic and surgical principles, with colleagues who are already familiar with robotic neck surgery.
SPRA represents a logical evolution of remote-access neck surgery in the era of single-port robotics. It builds on the conceptual foundations of BABA while significantly simplifying access, reducing flap extension, and fully exploiting the capabilities of the da Vinci SP platform. The focus of the technical note is therefore on how the operation is actually done: access, docking, thyroidectomy, lateral neck dissection, and closure.
You can access the technical description here.
J Granell. Dec 21, 2025.
PD. A brief personal note inspired by the accompanying photo. Despite sub-zero temperatures, iced coffee (Starbucks) seems to remain the beverage of choice early in the morning. Some cultural mysteries — much like surgical innovation — are best observed with curiosity and an open mind 🙂