Robotic Surgery

In Brief Robotic surgery was undertaken as a method to replace humans in hostile and hazardous environments such as undersea, in space, or on the battlefield. The vision of robotic surgery became a reality when in 1999 the first 2 da Vinci robotic surgical systems were installed in operating rooms in the United States. As of the close of 2006, 429 systems were in place in the United States. The goals of robotic surgery are to improve the quality of laparoscopic surgery currently performed, to expand the applications for minimally invasive surgery by expanding the number of surgeons who can perform minimally invasive surgery, and to help convert some currently invasive surgeries to minimally invasive surgeries. Specialties such as cardio-thoracic surgery and urology have lead the way changing the route of well-established procedures. Gynecology has been slower to embrace this new technology. Studies have shown a decrease in the learning curve for the skills needed to performing complex laparoscopic surgeries. Myomectomies, tubal reanastomosis, sacral colpopexy, and radical hysterectomy with lymph node sampling are some of the more complex gynecologic procedures that have been performed with robotic technology. The future of robotic surgery lies in studies that show improved patient outcomes when compared with the current mainstream operations. This article presents a chronologic history of robotic surgery and technology and its potential use in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery.