Robotic Surgery in Urology

Robotic surgery is a minimally invasive technique that is becoming increasingly popular in urology. It is used in many procedures like radical prostatectomies, radical cystectomy, partial nephrectomy, and ureterocystoneostomy. [1] The robotics technology branch at the NASA Johnson Space Center has developed a humanoid robot called Robonaut. The word robot is derived from the Czechoslovakian robota, which means worker. A surgical robot is regarded as a computer-controlled manipulator with artificial sensing that can be reprogrammed to move and position tools to carry out a range of surgical tasks [2,3]. Further study has found by analyzing data from surgeons' early experience in Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy (RALP), that previous experience in laparoscopic surgery eliminated a significant learning curve in relation to oncological and functional outcomes, as well as minimizing the learning curve in relation to duration of surgery. Formal fellowship training in laparoscopic and/or robotic surgery achieves optimal outcomes for patients when surgeons are transitioning to the robotic interface. [4] Several console-based robots for laparoscopic multi- and single-port surgery are expected to come to market within the next years. The high technical standards of the four da Vinci generations have set a high standard for upcoming devices [5].