Robotic Surgery

What’s robotic surgery?

Robotic surgery, also called robot-assisted surgery, is an advanced technology that gives your surgeon control, flexibility, and accuracy when surgically treating a wide variety of health conditions. With robotic assistance, your surgeon doesn’t need to create large, open incisions, but can use small holes that fit long-handled instruments that are controlled from outside your body with robotic dexterity.

Using the highly advanced da Vinci robotic surgery system, your surgeon makes small, 1-2 centimeter incisions near and around the surgical site or through the navel. Four robotic arms hold long, thin instruments and a small camera, which are placed through the holes. This gives the surgeon a real-time, magnified high definition view of and flexible movement within the treatment area.

The surgeon controls the robotic arms using hand and foot pedals, allowing accurate, stable movements without the need of an open incision. This means less trauma to the body, a quicker recovery, and less risk for post-surgical complications.

How’s robotic surgery used?

Robotic surgery is used to offer a minimally invasive approach to treatment in many fields of medicine, including:

• General Surgery
• Colon and Rectal Surgery
• Oncologic surgery
• Hernia Surgery
• Orthopedics
• Gynecology
• Urology
• Gastroenterology

Robotic surgery gives the surgeon unprecedented control to perform delicate and complex surgical procedures that are highly risky or not possible using traditional surgical methods.

What are the benefits of robotic surgery?

The benefits of robotic surgery over traditional surgery include:

• Less post-surgical pain
• Less trauma to healthy tissues
• Less blood loss
• Less scarring
• Less risk of infection
• A shorter recovery time
• Less time away from work and your other daily activities

Typically, robotic surgery requires less time in the hospital and is often done at centers of excellence such as Northwell Hospitals, where members of Progressive Surgical Care have admitting privileges.

What conditions are treated using robotic surgery?

The providers at Progressive Surgical Care use da Vinci robotic surgery to treat a number of conditions, including:

• Colon and rectal cancer
• Diverticulitis
• Ventral and incisional hernias
• Colon polyps
• Inguinal hernias
• Diverticulitis
• Hiatal hernia
• Rectal disorders
• Gastric tumors

Bowel resections, colon and rectal resections, diaphragmatic hernias, and other complex surgical procedures are also possible with robotic surgery. As part of your surgical consultation, your surgeon discusses with you if minimally invasive robotic surgery is an option for your specific condition.

For a consultation about robotic surgery, call or schedule an appointment today with Progressive Surgical Care.