Minimally invasive surgery

Robotic surgery,
clearly explained.

Robotic-assisted surgery uses small incisions, a console, specialist instruments and a magnified 3D view.

The surgeon controls every movement. The system cannot act on its own.

How it works

Benefit

3D vision and wristed instruments may help selected operations.

Limits

It is not autonomous or automatically superior.

Suitability

Diagnosis, anatomy and hospital pathway guide the choice.

Compare approaches

Open, laparoscopic or robotic — how they differ

Diagnosis, anatomy and hospital pathway determine which approach suits you. This is a general guide, not a recommendation.

Surgical Aspect	Traditional Open	Laparoscopic	Robotic (Da Vinci Xi)
Access	Usually uses a larger incision to reach the operative area.	Usually uses several small ports for a camera and instruments.	Usually uses several small ports for a camera and robotic instruments.
View	The surgeon views the operative area directly.	A camera displays the operative field on a monitor.	A console provides a magnified three-dimensional camera view.
Instruments	The surgeon works directly with conventional surgical instruments.	The surgeon controls long instruments through the ports.	The surgeon controls wristed instruments from the console.
Who performs the operation	The surgeon and theatre team perform the operation.	The surgeon and theatre team perform the operation.	The surgeon controls the system and performs the operation with the theatre team.
Suitability	Depends on the condition, anatomy, previous surgery and clinical assessment.	Depends on the condition, anatomy, previous surgery and clinical assessment.	Depends on the condition, anatomy, previous surgery, hospital pathway and clinical assessment.

Not sure which approach is suitable for your condition?