Robotic Surgery

What is surgery?

Surgery is a way to treat an injury or illness that usually involves cutting the body to expose organs, bones, or other parts of the body.

What is robotic surgery?

Robotic surgery is a way of performing surgery that allows the procedure to be done with smaller incisions. A surgeon uses a computer that controls robotic arms with tools and a camera attached to them to perform the surgery. These tools are inserted into the body through small incisions (cuts).

While sitting at a computer in the operating room, the surgeon watches enlarged 3-D images of your body as the surgery is being done. As the surgeon moves their hand, the robot matches these movements to use the tools. This can help the surgeon make small, precise movements. The robot has no control over the movements being made, only the surgeon.

Setting a robot up for surgery can take extra time, so robotic surgeries tend to take longer than laparoscopic or open surgery. Not all facilities have robotic equipment available to help perform surgeries. Not all surgeons are trained to use this equipment.

What types of surgery can be done robotically?

Some surgeries that can be done using a robotic system include:

• Gallbladder removal.
• Hysterectomy.
• Total or partial kidney removal.
• Radical prostatectomy.
• Radical cystectomy.

Are there benefits to robotic surgery?

The potential benefits of robotic surgery include faster healing time and recovery since several small incisions (cuts) are used instead of a large incision. There may also be less risk of pain, bleeding, and infection. Because of these things, you may have a shorter hospital stay.

Robotic surgery is best done by a surgeon who has a lot of experience with this type of surgery. Robotic surgery is not always a good choice for cancer surgery. In some types of cancer surgeries, it is still being tested to see if it works as well as traditional surgery. Not all facilities have robotic surgery available. Talk to your surgeon about your options for your cancer surgery.