Over the past few years, thanks to rapid technological innovation, we have seen a shift from traditional methods of surgery to robotic assisted surgery.
What is Robotic Surgery?
Robotic surgery is a technique in which a surgeon performs surgery using a computer that remotely controls very small instruments attached to a robot. The main aim of robotic surgery is to reduce the patient’s stay in the hospital, to minimize the pain and scarring associated with surgery, and to facilitate faster recovery.
The key players in the Global Robotic Surgery Market are developing advanced automatic devices for treating patients with chronic diseases. Robot-assisted procedures are among some of the advanced technologies that have been launched recently.
For instance, in 2013, OmniGuide Surgical Inc., a leading developer of advanced energy surgical products, announced its latest technology for robot-assisted and laparoscopic gynecologic procedures. Similarly, OmniGuide launched its BeamPath Robotic Fiber and FlexGuideULTRA for robotic gynecology surgery.
TechNavio analysts have identified four medical fields that would benefit greatly from robotic surgery technology:
Urology
Robotic surgery to treat urological conditions is usually recommended only when medicine, lifestyle changes, and other non-surgical treatments do not ease urological symptoms. Urological problems are those affecting the urinary tract and reproductive/sexual organs.
Common urological conditions that may require surgery include bladder cancer, kidney cancer, kidney disorders, and prostate cancer.
The da Vinci Surgical System is used by surgeons worldwide for prostatectomy and other urological procedures. The da Vinci prostatectomy offers many potential benefits when compared to traditional open surgery, which include less blood loss, less pain, lower risk of complications, and lower risk of wound infection.
The total number of da Vinci prostatectomy procedures performed globally is depicted in the exhibit below:
Gynecology
Robotic surgical systems have been used in various gynecological surgeries, including hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), myomectomy (removal of uterine leiomyomas), and tubal reanastomosis (reuniting of a divided tube).
Robotic hysterectomy is one of the most common gynecological operations carried out using the da Vinci robot. Robotic hysterectomy provides various benefits such as reduced pain and significantly faster overall recovery.
The number of da Vinci hysterectomy procedures carried out globally is depicted in the exhibit below:
General Surgery
Surgical robots are those that address the limitations of laparoscopy, including two-dimensional visualization, and incomplete articulation of instruments. The robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery provides less invasive, more precise procedures, which may improve patient outcomes.
The laparoscopy robotic system offers advantages such as less pain, smaller and possibly more cosmetically appealing incisions, shorter hospital stay, and shorter recovery time.
Others
The others consist of the use of robots in orthopedic and neuro surgeries. The application of robotic surgery is extensive in orthopedic surgery. The major benefits of orthopedic robotic systems over conventional orthopedic systems are improved accuracy and precision in the preparation of bone surfaces, and more reliable and reproducible outcomes.
The use of robotic systems in neurosurgery help in achieving high precision results and relatively fixed landmarks of the cranial anatomy. Neurosurgery robotic systems have significant manipulative advantages over traditional neurosurgery techniques as they are reliable at performing the same procedure repeatedly without any variation.
