Robotic surgery, more accurately called robot-assisted surgery, allows doctors to perform complex procedures with greater precision, flexibility, and control than is possible with conventional surgical techniques. Robotic surgery is typically minimally invasive — it allows us to perform procedures through tiny incisions.
During robotic surgery, the surgeon sits some distance from the operating table and watches a 3-D image of the surgical area on a computer screen. The surgeon uses specialized hand controls that tell the robot exactly how to maneuver surgical tools to perform the operation.
Today’s most widely used robotic surgical system includes a camera arm and mechanical arms with surgical instruments attached. The surgeon controls these arms while seated at a computer console near the operating table. This console presents the surgeon with a high-definition, magnified, 3-D view of the surgical site.
With robot-assisted surgery, we can perform delicate and complex procedures that may have been difficult or impossible when using other methods. Robotic surgery often makes minimally invasive surgery possible. The benefits of minimally invasive surgery include:
