The Evolution of Robotic Surgery and its Clinical Applications

摘要

Robotic platforms offer the modern surgeon a unique set of surgical attributes, heretofore considered conflicting: conjoint advantages of superior vision and minimal access in a single surgical approach. Robotic surgery is the latest phase in the evolution of minimally invasive surgery which has taken place over the past 50 years. The evolution of robotic surgery began with clinical applications of the da Vinci Surgical Systemin endoscopic cardiac surgery but gained mainstream acceptance after its successful clinical application to minimally invasive urology (mostly robotic prostatectomy). The da Vinci robot is now established as the state-of-the-art platform for performing robotic surgery in many fields. Instrumental dexterity, stereoscopic vision, and an ergonomic console explain why the da Vinci robot allows the surgeon to perform nimble dissections in unforgiving anatomic spaces. This chapter ventures off the beaten path, avoiding the usual chronological narrative of various industrial robots to focus instead on the surgeon's perspective regarding the role of robotic surgery in the evolution of minimal access; special emphasis is also placed on the clinical applications of robotic surgery in the various surgical specialties.