Robotic Surgery is the most advanced method of Minimally Invasive Surgery, which allows us to operate with more accuracy, precision, and gives us more flexibility and control.

The da Vinci Surgery System consists of three main parts: the vision cart, patient cart, and the surgeon console.

Patient cart

The patient-side cart is positioned near the patient on the operating table. It is where the instruments used during the operation move in real-time in response to your surgeon’s hand movements at the surgeon console.

Vision cart

The vision cart makes communication between the components of the system possible and supports the latest 3D high-definition vision system.

The surgeon sits in their console, away from the patient, and with the master controllers, they control the endo wrist instruments on the arms, which allow for up to 7 degrees of freedom which is similar to the human hand.

Through a high-definition 3-dimensional camera and 10 times augmentation, and tremor filtration, allows the surgeon to perform very precise movements and see structures that would not be able to see with bare eyes.

 

 

The Surgical Robot is designed to enhance surgeon capabilities but cannot operate on its own; it is 100% controlled by the surgeon

Benefits of Robotics in Colorectal Surgery

The benefits of robotic surgery in Colorectal Conditions at a glance:

  • Smaller Incisions
  • Faster Return to Daily Activities
  • Less Infections
  • Less Post-Operative Pain
  • Shorter length of hospital stay
  • Fewer Complications
  • Little or No Blood Loss
  • Less Surgical Site Infections (SSI)
  • Reduction in permanent Stoma rates
  • Reduction in number of open
  • Procedures
  • Reduction in conversion rates to open surgery
  • Increase on the number of procedures that can be done Minimally Invasive
  • Oncological benefits, such as reduction in cancer margin involvement
  • And less local recurrences
  • Better oncological resection, which could lead to better overall survival.

The benefits of the robotic platform are more evident in rectal resections, when we have to work in a narrow-confined space, in a male pelvis, or obese patients. The robotic platform has proven to help in conversion to open surgery. Also, we can visualize and preserve the pelvic nerves, which could lead in improved functional outcomes, regarding to bowel, sexual, urinary function. The permanent stoma rates are decreased significantly and this leads to improved quality of life and satisfaction.

In right colon cancer, with the robotic platform we can do intracorporeal anastomosis and extraction of the specimen throught a lower midline incision. There is evidence that intracorporeal anastomosis, could lead to less postoperative complications, decreased SSI, decreased LoS, and less incisional site hernias

We can also do radical lymph node dissections and complete mesocolic excision, which there is arising evidence suggesting that improves survival, 10-17%, depending on the staging.