Robotic Surgery

Overview

Robotic surgery procedure

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Mayo Clinic physicians have long been at the forefront of robotic surgery, performing thousands of successful procedures over the past decade. In skilled hands, robotic surgery is a groundbreaking alternative to both conventional open surgery and traditional laparoscopy.

Like other minimally invasive procedures, robotic surgery is performed through small incisions. A special camera gives surgeons a three-dimensional view of the surgical field with better depth perception than open surgery, and magnification 10 times greater than the human eye. Robot technology also gives surgeons a degree of precision and control that can't be achieved with standard laparoscopic techniques.

Most patients who undergo robotic surgery experience less blood loss and significantly less postoperative pain, leave the hospital sooner and recuperate more quickly. In many cases, they have a better overall outcome. Robotic surgery may also permit more people, some of whom might not be candidates for open or even traditional minimally invasive surgery, to undergo surgical repair.

When robotic surgery was first introduced in 1985, it was reserved for relatively simple operations. Today, surgeons at Mayo Clinic use robot technology to successfully treat complex heart, abdominal, gynecologic, urologic, and head and neck disorders as well as early, advanced and recurrent cancers.

Not all operations at Mayo Clinic are performed robotically, and not every patient is a candidate for a robotic procedure. But robot-assisted surgery plays an increasingly large role at Mayo, where minimally invasive procedures are the standard of care.

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About

A robotic system doesn't replace or act independently of human surgeons. Instead, it enables surgeons to see more clearly and to position and manipulate instruments more precisely. This makes it possible to perform a wide range of complex procedures with fewer complications and better results for the majority of patients. Learn more about robotic surgery.