The Many Advantages of Robotic Surgery

A conservative treatment approach is the first line of defense against many chronic women’s health concerns, ranging from endometriosis pain and uterine fibroids to pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence issues. But when lifestyle changes, medication, and other standard therapies don’t successfully alleviate your problem, surgery may be the best next step. 

As board-certified women’s wellness experts who specialize in providing advanced care, our skilled team at Panhandle Obstetrics and Gynecology in Amarillo, Texas, is proud to perform gynecologic surgery using the da Vinci® surgical system, a cutting-edge platform that combines robotic precision with minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques for optimum results. 

Read on to learn more about the da Vinci robotic surgery technique and the many advantages it has to offer. 

Understanding robotic-assisted surgery 

Robotic surgery is a groundbreaking form of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery that involves the supportive use of a computer-controlled, high-precision robot to assist and enhance your surgeon’s performance. 

More accurately described as robotic-assisted surgery, our team can use this exceptionally advanced technique to perform a wide range of gynecologic procedures, including:

• Hysterectomy (partial or total)
• Resection surgery (endometriosis)
• Myomectomy (uterine fibroid removal)
• Reconstructive pelvic organ prolapse repair 
• Cervical, uterine, and ovarian cancer removal

The da Vinci surgical system has three components:

Control center console 

Your surgeon works from a computerized control center in the operating room. This console enables them to deftly maneuver the four thin robotic arms at the patient cart.

Patient cart

Situated by your bedside and supervised by our surgical team, the patient cart holds the system’s four robotic arms. Three of these arms are outfitted with miniaturized surgical instruments that move like a human hand, but with a far greater range of motion. Advanced tremor-filtration technology ensures smooth, precise movement. 

Vision cart

Looking through a specialized 3D camera that’s attached to the fourth robotic arm at the patient cart, the vision cart gives your surgeon a magnified, high-definition image of the surgical site from their seat at the console. 

Important advantages of robotic surgery

Performing gynecologic surgery with robotic assistance enables our team to complete the most complex procedures and delicate operations with exacting precision, all through tiny incisions. 

As the most precise and least invasive surgical technique in existence, robotic gynecologic surgery has many advantages. Key benefits include: 

Minimal trauma and blood loss

While traditional open surgery typically uses one long incision, and conventional minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery uses several short incisions, da Vinci robotic surgery uses tiny, ultra-minimally invasive incisions to minimize incidental tissue damage and blood loss.

Lower infection and complication risk

Given that the ultra-minimally invasive incisions used in robotic surgery inflict minimal damage to healthy tissues, your body has less healing to do after your procedure. Less surgical trauma and tissue interference translates to a far lower rate of infection and complication risk overall. 

Less pain and a faster recovery 

Compared to traditional open surgery as well as procedures done with basic laparoscopic methods, you can expect less postoperative pain, shorter hospital stays, and an overall quicker recovery with robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery. This means a faster return to normalcy and restored health, including urinary continence and sexual function.

Minimal incision-related scarring 

Tiny incisions and very few sutures have an invaluable cosmetic benefit — far less surgical scar tissue. Minimal scar tissue isn’t just an aesthetic advantage, however; it also offers the benefit of greater comfort. How? Longer surgery scars may feel tight, itchy, or even painful until they finish forming and become more stable. 

A record of optimum outcomes

Robotic surgery gives your surgeon far greater accuracy, dexterity, reach, and control than they have when operating with traditional surgical instruments and techniques. 

This means a crystal clear, super-magnified view of the surgical area, easier access to very tight spaces, and meticulous surgical precision. By extending and enhancing the capabilities of your surgeon’s eyes and hands, robotic surgery offers the best probability of an optimum outcome. 

Learn more about robotic surgery today

It can be stressful to learn you need surgery to alleviate disruptive gynecologic symptoms and restore optimal health, but you needn’t stress. Innovative surgical techniques have made gynecologic procedures safer, more precise, less invasive, and easier to recover from than ever before. 

To learn more about robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery or to schedule a visit at Panhandle Obstetrics and Gynecology, call 806-359-5468 today.