ROBOTIC SURGERY HAS PROVEN ITSELF AS AN INDISPENSABLE EXTENSION OF GENITOURINARY SURGERIES--- A REVIEW ARTICLE

Abstract

Robotic surgery evolved in an era of technically cumbersome laparoscopic surgery with its associated steep learning curve. The difficulty faced by laparoscopic surgeons in negotiating this learning curve led to the evolution of robotics. The real benefits of robotic surgery stem from the enhanced surgical precision, miniaturization of the incision, diminished blood loss, reduced pain, and more rapid convalescence. Other advantages of robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery are the possibility of articulation beyond the normal limits of the human wrist and three-dimensional stereoscopic vision with higher magnification. The advantages of robot assistance with regard to many ablative and reconstructive uro-surgical procedures are too numerous for urologists to ignore, and some of these are discussed later in this review. However, the long-term benefits of robotic assistance in urological laparoscopic surgery (other than in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy) and the associated cost utility issues remain to be ascertained.