• Michał Hibner, Piotr Marianowski, Iwona Szymusik, and Mirosław Wielgós.
• Division of Gynecologic Surgery, St. Josephs Hospital and Medical Center, Creighton University School of Medicine, USA
• Ginekol Pol. 2012 Dec 1; 83 (12): 934-8.

AbstractIntroduction of robotic surgery in the first decade of the 21 century was one of the biggest breakthroughs in surgery since the introduction of anesthesia. For the first time in history the surgeon was placed remotely from the patient and was able to operate with the device that has more degrees of freedom than human hand. Initially developed for the US Military in order to allow surgeons to be removed from the battlefield, surgical robots quickly made a leap to the mainstream medicine. One of the first surgical uses for the robot was cardiac surgery but it is urology and prostate surgery that gave it a widespread popularity Gynecologic surgeons caught on very quickly and it is estimated that 31% of hysterectomies done in the United States in 2012 will be done robotically. With over half a million hysterectomies done each year in the US alone, gynecologic surgery is one of the main driving forces behind the growth of robotic surgery Other applications in gynecology include myomectomy oophorectomy and ovarian cystectomy resection of endometriosis and lymphadenectomy Advantages of the surgical robot are clearly seen in myomectomy The wrist motion allows for better more precise suturing than conventional "straight stick" laparoscopy The strength of the arms allow for better pulling of the suture and the third arm for holding the suture on tension. Other advantage of the robot is scaling of the movements when big movement on the outside translates to very fine movement on the inside. This enables much more precise surgery and may be important in the procedures like tubal anastomosis and implantation of the ureter Three-dimensional vision provides excellent depth of field perception. It is important for surgeons who are switching from open surgeries and preliminary evidence shows that it may allow for better identification of lesions like endometriosis. Another big advantage of robotics is that the surgeon sits comfortably with his/her arms and head supported. This results in much less fatigue and therefore increases precision and potentially may decrease the number of medical errors. The eyes of the surgeon are directed at where the hands should be, which is more natural, allows for a more natural body position and mimics open surgery Robot also enables better teaching, especially when two consoles are used. The surgeon and the student may be either sharing the instruments with two consoles or switching between one another. In a situation where the student operates, the surgeon can use the telestation to teach. Robotic simulator attached to one of the consoles allows students to practice after hours. In summary surgical robot is a great tool, especially in gynecology but also in urology cardiac surgery general surgery and laryngology The device will evolve and most likely with time will eliminate laparoscopy

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