WHAT IS ROBOTIC SURGERY?

Robotic surgery is the most technologically advanced type of minimally invasive “key-hole” surgery. It uses advanced robotic technologies to assist the surgeon with an operation. It does not act on its own. Movements of the robot arms are controlled by the surgeon who sits in a console in the operating room.

The tower, which is positioned directly over the patient during surgery, contains the robot arms – three that can hold a variety of specially designed miniaturised surgical instruments, and a fourth that holds the system’s HD 3-D camera. These arms are controlled by a computer that exactly replicates the movements of the surgeon.

The console is where the surgeon sits and operates the robot’s controls while looking into a monitor that provides a magnified (up to 10x) HD 3-D view of the surgical field. The surgeon manipulates the robot’s arms by manoeuvring two master controls that provide fingertip precision of movement.

Robotic surgery is performed under general anaesthetic in a hospital.

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Four to five small 8-10mm incisions are made on the abdomen to allow insertion of 3-4 miniaturised surgical instruments and a magnified HD 3-D camera.

These are mounted on robotic arms. The surgeon is able to control these arms by placing his fingers into the master controls in a console located in the operating room.

Every movement made with the master controls is replicated precisely by the robot. All four arms of the robot can be simultaneously controlled while the surgeon is looking through a HD monitor that literally places him inside the patient, giving him a better, more detailed 3-D view of the operating field

Robotic surgery instruments are designed to provide surgeons with a greater range of movements than the human hand, allowing greater precision in an operation.

Compared to open incision surgery, robotic or laparoscopic hysterectomy allows:

Women usually stays in hospital for 1-2 nights after a robotic hysterectomy (compared to 4-5 nights after an open surgery).

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Recovery is also quicker, usually in 2-3 weeks (compared to 6 weeks after open surgery).

• Less pain

• Less blood loss during operation

• Lower risk of infection

• Lower risk of formation of clots in legs (deep vein thrombosis) or lungs (pulmonary embolus) after surgery

• Less scar tissue formation

• Quicker recovery.