Robotic Surgery

Robotic surgery has been growing in popularity around the world for both patients and surgeons; it is providing very real benefits in complex operations while reducing the number of incisions used in some smaller operations. Robotic surgery is a more modern form of keyhole surgery and it is likely that robotic procedures will gradually replace standard keyhole surgery over the next decade. Robotic surgery improves a surgeon’s dexterity and movement precision, reduces tremor and fatigue and allows access into cramped areas of the abdomen. We are happy to be able to offer robotic-assisted surgery to interested people who are considering this option. There are three main points to consider:

• The surgeon still does the procedure, so having a robot cannot make up for any lack of skill in the surgeon.
• Only some operations are better done robotically than laparoscopically. If using the robot makes the procedure easier for the surgeon by reducing the surgeon’s fatigue, or by allowing the surgeon to get into a part of the body that is hard to reach, this makes a robotic operation more likely to be successful.
• Robotic surgery is ideal for complex operations on the stomach, oesophagus and pancreas.

Robotic surgery is ideal for redoing complex weight loss surgery (bypass and sleeve), redoing reflux surgery, complex hernia surgery, and mini-keyhole gall bladder surgery. The main disadvantage of robotic surgery is the increased equipment cost, some of which must be passed on to the patient, as they are not all covered by health funds and hospitals.