Robotic surgery for gastrointestinal disorders

Abstract

The introduction of laparoscopic techniques in the 1990s revolutionized surgery. It provided significant benefits for the patient and the health care system. Laparoscopic surgery is the first-line method for carrying out a number of common procedure(cholecystectomy, appendectomy and hernia repair). Despite these advances, convention laparoscopic techniques have several limitations to achieve complex surgical procedures. These limitations placed increasing demands on the laparoscopic surgeon who has to adapt traditional techniques to the laparoscopic setting. Telerobotic system was introduced into convention surgical practice. In September 2000, the Food and Drug Admistration(FDA) in the USA approved this robotic system for abdominal operations. Since September 2000 the da Vinci� robotic technology has spread worldwide; over 700 da Vinci systems are now in use. Robotics are now being used in all surgical field. By increasing intra-abdominal articulations while operating through small incision, robotics are increasingly being used for a large number of visceral and solid organ operations, including surgery on the gallbladder, esophagus, stomach, intestine, colon, and rectum, as wel as for endocrine organs. As a specialty field, robotics should continue to grow. As the robotic era enters the world of the general surgeon, more and more complex procedures will be able to be approached through small incision.