Esophagectomy is associated with significant postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs), occurring in 20-50% of patients. Although robot-assisted thoracoscopic esophagectomy (RATE) is a promising alternative to open transthoracic esophagectomy (OTE), comprehensive data on longitudinal pulmonary function recovery and clinical outcomes remain limited. This study aimed to compare the changes in pulmonary function and PPCs between RATE and OTE over the first year after surgery.