Dr. Kernstine specializes in minimally invasive and robotic surgery including dozens of robotic thoracic procedures since he started his practice at UT Southwestern and more than 500 cases in the last 10 years. He is credited with performing several first robotic chest procedures and techniques, including the first published robotic oncologic esophagectomy in the world. Since the first surgery, he has become one of the highest volume robotic thoracic surgeons in the country with outstanding results. He has lectured worldwide on the different robotic chest techniques and serves as instructor internationally to surgeons and new surgical programs. As Professor and Chair of the Division of Thoracic Surgery and a leader on the lung cancer treatment team, Dr. Kernstine focuses on the surgical management of a wide spectrum of benign and malignant diseases of the chest and coordinates care with other physicians and team members throughout Simmons Cancer Center and UT Southwestern.

Definitive atlas providing information on this surgical technique

Principles of Robotic Thoracic Surgery, Program Development and Equipment.- Anesthesia for Robotic Thoracic Surgery.- Robotic Lobectomy.- Robotic Lobectomy: Hilum First Technique.- Robotic Pancoast and Chest Wall Resection.- Robotic Anterior Mediastinal Mass/Cyst and Thymectomy.- Robotic Anterior Mediastinal Mass Resection: Belgium.- Robotic Thymectomy: China.- Robotic Applications to the Mediastinum.- Difficult Mediastinal Mass Resections: Robotic Approach and Solutions: Austria.- Robotic Transhiatal Esophagectomy.- Robot-Assisted Thoracolaparoscopic Esophagectomy: The Netherlands.- Robot-Assisted Thoracoscopic Esophagectomy in the Semi-Prone Position.- Robotic Esophagectomy.- Laparoscopic Robotic Diaphragmatic Plication.- Robotic Diaphragmatic Mass Removal.- Robotic Phrenic Nerve Pacemaker Implantation.- Robotic Pericardial Cyst/Mass Resection.- The Surgical Treatment of Pericardial Disease: The Robotic Approach.- Robotic Transthoracic Thoracic Duct Ligation.- Robotic Diaphragm Plication.- Robotic Laparoscopic Modified Belsey Procedure (Gastroesophageal Valvuloplasty) for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.- Robotic Fundoplication: Nissen-Rossetti.- Robotic Paraesophageal "Giant" Hiatal Hernia Repair.- Robotic Heller Myotomy.- Robotic Assisted Laparoscopic Cardiomyotomy (Heller Myotomy) in Achalasia: Austria.- Robotic-Assisted Esophageal Epiphrenic Diverticulectomy.- Esophageal Leiomyoma.- Robotic Transthoracic Esophageal Leiomyoma Resection.- Robotic First Rib Resection: Paget-Schroetter's Syndrome.