Current Medicine Research and Practice (Jan 2012)
Robotic surgery: Overview, applications and future trends
Abstract
Robotic technology is the most advanced development in minimally invasive surgery. There are several limitations and drawbacks to conventional laparoscopy, including limited movement, the inability to perform high-precision sutures, unnatural positions for the surgeon, and 2-dimensional vision. Robotic surgery may overcome these limitations and allow extension of minimally invasive surgery to an increasing number of patients. The potential advantages of robotic system include its greater precision, lower error rates, reduced bleeding, shorter hospital stay, patient recovery and reduced pain. It also has ergonomic advantages for the surgeon. The surgeon directs the robotic arms of the system through a console by means of hand controls and pedals, making use of a stereoscopic viewing system providing a 3-dimensional view. Robotic technology is currently being used in general, urological, gynaecological and cardiothoracic surgery. However, many issues are still not resolved, such as the clinical feasibility and safety of robotic surgery in a general surgical context, the length and difficulty of the learning curve, and clinical applications and drawbacks. This article aims to provide an overview of the development of robotic surgery, components of the available da Vinci Surgical System (DVSS), its clinical applications especially in abdominal surgery and future trends.
