Robotic surgery is a momentous step forward in technology from what would usually before referred to as keyhole or laparoscopic surgery, which in turn was an advance from conventional open surgery. Similar to laparoscopy, it uses small ports through the skin to place instruments into the patient, rather than a large incision. The robot allows surgeons to have far greater control over the camera and instruments. It makes finer, more dextrous movements much simpler and allows for operations to be performed where vision and access would otherwise require a much larger cut. This allows for more complex operations to be performed safely in a minimally invasive manner, leading to significantly faster recovery times, shorter hospital stays and less post-operative pain. Dr Beattie will discuss with you if your operation is appropriate to be performed with robotic surgery.
