Current status of robotic assisted pelvic surgery and future developments

Abstract

Robotic surgery is a continually advancing technology, which has opened new horizons for performing pelvic surgery with precision and accuracy. Although its use is rapidly expanding in all surgical disciplines, particularly in pelvic surgery, further comparative studies are needed to provide robust guidance about the most appropriate application of this technology within the surgical armamentarium.

SAGES TAVAC safety and effectiveness analysis: da Vinci® Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA)

“…Use of the da Vinci Ò Surgical System in operations involving the foregut comprises some of the largest data sets for robotic gastrointestinal surgery, mainly in Nissen fundoplication and Heller myotomy [12][13][14][15].…”

Training robotic surgery in urology: experience and opinions of robot urologists

“…The introduction of the da Vinci® surgical system by Intuitive Surgical in 2000 has changed the field of minimally invasive urology (1,2). The use of this advanced technological device has accelerated the shift from conventional open surgery to minimally invasive surgery and has led to a completely different spectrum of required skills for the urological surgeon.…”

“…While the first generation of urologists had to learn robot-assisted laparoscopy without a supervisor in their hospital, there is now a shift to a next generation that has the possible advantage of a supervisor in their hospital. This study aims to answer to following research questions: (a) what were the training pathways followed by the first generation of robot urologists; and (2) what are their opinions on the ideal training for the future generation?…”

Cost-Effectiveness in Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery

“…While robotic surgery has become increasingly more popular as an alternative for urologic procedures [ 55 ], there still exist sizeable barriers to widespread use including absence of long-term outcomes and increased costs. Regardless of these issues, robotic surgery has become more prevalent due to decreased length of hospitalization, reduced learning curves for diffi cult procedures, comparable clinical outcomes to the alternative, and increasing patient demand [ 56 ].…”