Robotic Surgery vs. Traditional Laparoscopy

Going under the knife can be an anxiety provoking experience for many people. Luckily, the medical field has made incredible breakthroughs in recent decades that have made surgery pretty seamless. With advanced technology, surgeons can now perform minimally invasive procedures that lead to better results and shorter recovery times and lower risk of infection. Large incisions are, for most, a thing of the past.

Traditional Laparoscopy

Laparoscopic surgery became popular in the 1990s and is very common today. It was introduced to make surgery less invasive, reducing many of the risk associated with a large single incision. A laparoscopic procedure involves a surgeon making tiny incisions in the abdomen, inserting a small camera, called a laparoscope, and tiny medical devices into the incisions to visualize and perform surgery within the abdomen.

After the procedure is complete, the small incisions are closed and the patient can begin recovery.

Robotic Surgery

Just when people thought surgery couldn’t become more advanced, robotic assisted surgery was introduced.  Robotic surgery is like laparoscopic surgery in practice – small incisions, camera view, shorter recovery time.

The difference is that with robotic surgery your surgeon is sitting at a console controlling the robotic arms that are operating on you. The robotic arms have wrists that allow 360-degree rotation, offering greater precision and reaching parts within the abdomen that were previously accessible only with open surgery. The surgeon is looking at an image provided by a high definition, 3-D camera that is inserted into one of the incision sites.

Which Is Best?

Laparoscopic surgery has run circles around open surgery, and robotic surgery has made laparoscopy even better. Despite the learning curve necessary to learn robotic surgical technique, it provides precision that cannot be beaten. However, that doesn’t mean that traditional laparoscopy is not safe or effective. In fact, for many straightforward procedures, outcomes are the same and surgeons can choose between the two.

If you would like to talk to an experienced general surgeon about your options when it comes to surgical technique, schedule an appointment with us today. MIIS is comprised of board certified surgeons that use cutting edge technology to ensure that each of our patients receives the best care.