What is Da Vinci Robotic Surgery & How Does it Help Hysterectomy Procedures?

10 Feb What is Da Vinci Robotic Surgery & How Does it Help Hysterectomy Procedures?

The da Vinci Surgical System is currently the only available robotic surgical system in Australia. It is made by the American company Intuitive Surgical. First approved two decades ago, more than 7 millions surgical procedures have now been completed using one of these robotic systems.

It uses advanced robotic technologies to assist the surgeon with an operation. It does not act on its own. Movements of the robot arms are controlled by the surgeon who sits in a console in the operating room.

The tower, which is positioned directly over the patient during surgery, contains the robot arms – three that can hold a variety of specially designed miniaturised surgical instruments, and a fourth that holds the system’s HD 3-D camera. These arms are controlled by a computer that exactly replicates the movements of the surgeon.

The console is where the surgeon sits and operates the robot’s controls while looking into a stereoscopic monitor that provides a magnified (up to 10x) HD 3-D view of the surgical field. The surgeon manipulates the robot’s arms by manoeuvring two master controls that provide fingertip precision of movement. The tiny instruments controlled by these movement are ‘wristed’ and move like a human hand, but with a far greater range of motion

Gynaecological Surgery Using Da Vinci Robotic Technique

Robotic surgery is used for complex gynaecological operations such as hysterectomy or myomectomy. Hysterectomy procedures in Melbourne may be recommended for treating a variety of conditions including:

• heavy or painful periods
• fibroids
• adenomyosis
• endometriosis

A vast majority of hysterectomies can now be safely performed laparoscopically (with or without the assistance of a robot). If you have been recommended to have an open incision on the abdomen for non-cancerous cases, ask your doctor or gynaecologist for another opinion if this can be done through ‘key-hole’ surgery.