"The robot was used for division of the postganglionic sympathetic fibers and communicating rami to the second, third, and fourth intercostals. The sympathetic chain and ganglia were left intact".
http://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/sts/62710
Same surgeon co-authored a paper on the same procedure in 2013 too:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23158099