What is da Vinci Robotic Surgery?
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A surgeon controls the movements of the da Vinci robot's spider-like arms. |
If your doctor recommends surgery to treat your symptoms or condition, you may be a candidate for minimally invasive da Vinci surgery, which is an alternative to traditional open and laparoscopic surgery.
This high-tech type of surgery employs robot-assisted technology that enables surgeons to do procedures with smaller incisions, resulting in less bleeding and pain for the patient, shorter recovery times and fewer post-operative complications.
Da Vinci surgery - available at Staten Island University Hospital - is used to perform hysterectomies,
kidney and
prostate surgeries, as well as other procedures.
The surgery involves two main components: a free-standing robot with four spider-like arms, and a separate console station located several feet away from the operating table.
Small incisions are made to allow the robot's arms to be inserted into the patient. One arm is a camera and the others can be pincers, scissors, cauterizers or other surgical equipment.
Sitting at the console, a surgeon views a magnified 3D image from the camera inside the patient and manipulates the robot's every movement during surgery. The robotic arms become an extension of the surgeon's own hands with the added benefit of a 360-degree range of motion not possible by the human hand alone.
Click here for a list of surgeons performing daVinci surgery at Staten Island University Hospital.