Robotic surgery is the use of computer technology that applies robot systems to perform a medical operation on the body of a patient. It involves operating a patient’s body with minimally invasive incisions that help the surgeon to undertake medical procedures that have less body damage, less pain, and little body damage.
The procedure of robotic surgery
It begins with administering anesthesia to a patient to keep him/her asleep and make it a pain-free process. Thereafter, the surgeon sits in a computer control room as directs the robot movements that contain small mechanical arms and other tools that are attached to it. The robotic surgery requires small cuts to penetrate within the body and perform the necessary adjustments of the body parts or even eliminate cancerous tissues. Additionally, the robotic surgery is also integrated with a small camera that shoots 3D images that have high resolution to allow the surgeon to have a clear view of the body and ensure the robot is implementing instructions as given by the computer commands. The robot is manipulated by the surgeon to operate with enhanced dexterity than traditional surgeries and precision from the start until the surgery is completed.
Types of robotic surgery
Most hospitals have adopted robotic surgery because it has more benefits to the patients as compared to traditional surgery where the surgeon had to use hands and big tools. There are many types of surgical robots and they include;
Robotic Gynecologic Surgery
The robotic gynecologic surgery has worked more effectively in women than an open surgery which had complex and perhaps painful procedures because of the larger incisions that were used. The robotic surgery is made effective as the surgeon can access the woman’s reproductive systems such as uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries through the abdomen successfully performing every necessary medical procedure.
Robotic head and neck surgery
As the name suggests, robotic and neck surgery is performed to treat cancerous parts of either throat, esophagus, tongue, tonsils, or head. The head could have some part of the brain that requires surgery as a result of brain tumors. By the use of aided computer robots, doctors can deliver better results because of the clear view of the surgical parts that are provided by the camera.
Robotic prostate surgery
Medical research has demonstrated that robots have led to progress in the treatment of prostate cancer in men. With the help of the robots, surgeons can remove cancerous cells through laparoscopic or robotic-assisted surgery. It is also used to treat prostatic obstruction, urethral reconstruction, bladder diverticula, testicles, and other urological conditions.
The other types of robotic surgery include;
- Robotic abdominal, colon, and rectal surgery
- Colon resection surgeries
- Robotic kidney surgery
- Robotic colorectal surgery
- Robotic cardiovascular surgery
These operations rely on various types of robotic surgery systems to deliver accurate results that enable the patients to recover faster. For instance, some of the commonly used robotic systems are; da Vinci surgical System, Ion that was designed by Intuitive Surgical, the Marko System, Navio surgical device, and the Auris Health bronchoscopic system that is called Monarch System.
Today, every modern hospital has opted to perform robotic surgery since it offers a lot of benefits and especially to the patient. When robotic surgery is performed, the surgeon has a major dexterity and chances of performing a successful operation due to the high-resolution images provided by the robot camera. Most importantly, there will be small cuts on the body for incision of robot tools that will take computer commands as directed by the surgeon hence leading to less pain and trauma, quick recovery period, less blood loss as well few scars.
