What do you understand by robotic urological surgeries?

Technology has revolutionized the medical field with various innovative techniques and methods, ensuring smooth and effective treatments for patients. Advancements in technology and the development of robotics mark a shift from traditional open surgeries to advanced minimally invasive procedures. Robotic technology allows surgeons to provide more precise and efficient outcomes for their patients than the traditional approaches used in open surgeries. As a result, there is a soaring demand for robotic-assisted surgery from both doctors and patients alike.

What is robotic-assisted surgery?

Robotic-assisted surgery enables doctors or surgeons to perform various types of complex procedures with more precision, flexibility, and control than is otherwise possible with conventional techniques. In other words, when there are more complex surgeries involved that require greater precision, robotic surgery is the only viable option. Robotic surgery is most effective for specific areas or parts of the body, such as the pelvic area, and disease processes in those parts, such as prostate cancer. Robotic surgery is minimally invasive surgery as the operation is performed laparoscopically, which involves smaller incisions rather than making large cuts in the skin. Since it is less invasive, requiring only small cuts in the skin, doctors use surgical equipment and a camera for viewing. It takes less time to heal. Patients are able to return to their normal activities soon after surgery.

When the operation is underway, the surgeon sits at a console near the patient. The surgeon controls the robotic arms from a console that replicates the surgeon’s movements while watching the operation through a video camera. The operation is performed with the combination of precision and accuracy of a cutting-edge machine and the discernment of an experienced surgeon. On the other hand, in conventional open surgery, the surgeon makes larger incisions or cuts in the skin and muscle. This opens the skin so that he or she can see and work on the area of concern. This results in a high loss of blood and a longer time to recover post-surgery. Therefore, traditional techniques of open surgery are effective only for normal, routine procedures and not for complex surgeries.

Initially, robotic-assisted techniques were reserved for cardiothoracic surgery only. Presently, it is widely used in gynecologic and urologic procedures.

Urology and robotic-assisted surgery

Urology has progressively emerged as a technology-driven specialty. The introduction of robotic surgical systems, particularly the Hugo RAZ robotic technology, has enabled surgeons to provide efficient results for their patients, which is not the case with traditional approaches used in open surgeries. There is increased awareness among people about the advantages and possibilities that robotic surgery offers, which has led to a huge surge in demand for robotic surgery for some procedures. Robotic-assisted surgery, which uses cutting-edge technology to ensure precision and accuracy, is apt for delicate and complex urologic surgeries.

Advantages of Robotic Surgery for patients

Robotic surgery enables surgeons to perform more precise operations than traditional surgery. It presents numerous advantages over traditional open surgery:

• In comparison to traditional open surgeries, the patient experiences significantly less pain as a result of the incision.
• Less blood loss during the procedure
• Lesser scarring due to incisions, requiring only small cuts in the abdomen
• With shorter hospital stays, patients can get discharged within a day after surgery
• A faster recovery time or shorter recovery time is required following surgery.
• In many cases, better clinical outcomes

Surgeons prefer robotic-assisted surgery because it is less invasive than traditional procedures, and the accuracy and precision of robotic technology are apt for delicate and complex urologic surgeries. It allows surgeons to operate smoothly even in the most complex procedures with increased precision, dexterity, and control on their part. Because of these benefits, there is a significant increase in demand for robotic surgery from both patients and doctors. Robotic-assisted procedures have shown positive perioperative and postoperative outcomes compared to traditional open versions.

Positive Outcomes

Unlike other medical fields which were unable to present the advantages of robotic technology usage, urologists have efficiently presented its usage and benefits in various procedures, most particularly in oncological cases. Types of robotic surgery:

• Robotic Prostatectomy
  Robotic prostatectomy or robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy is the most common procedure performed robotically. This has proved effective in the preservation of erectile function, the resultant nerve spring, and the achievement of total urinary continence. Patients are also able to leave the hospital after surgery within a day. Therefore, open or laparoscopic techniques used earlier have been replaced by robotic prostatectomies.
• Robotic Cystectomy with Intracorporeal Diversions
  Robotic cystectomy with intracorporeal diversions is a lengthy and complex procedure. As soon as the urinary bladder is removed, various intracorporal diversions, namely neobladders and ileal conduits, are placed using robotics, to ensure urinary continence. Patients who undergo this procedure experience minimal blood loss, a lowered transfusion rate, a decreased hospital stay, and lesser pain compared to traditional open surgery.
• Robotic Partial Nephrectomy
  Robotic partial or total nephrectomy surgery consumes significantly less operating time, results in less blood loss, and requires a shorter hospital stay compared to traditional open surgery. Highly experienced and specialized roboticists can also offer retroperitoneal robotic access since the kidneys are located in the retroperitoneal space behind the abdominal cavity. Hence, this approach offers a safer and more direct route.

All these surgeries, namely Robotic-assisted Prostatectomy, Cystectomy with Intracorporeal Diversions and Nephrectomy are being performed daily with increased frequency. There is an incessant rise in patient and doctor demand for robotic surgery across all fields.

Reach out to us if you have any additional questions about these procedures. We have a team of highly experienced and trained surgeons, nurses, and technicians. Our specialists are trained in robotic-assisted surgery for urological diseases and conditions and perform various procedures employing the Hugo RAZ robotic system, ensuring the highest possible precision and accuracy with no errors.

Meet the best urologists at Yashoda Hospital & Research Centre, Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad

Dr. Pradeep Prakash is one of the best urologists with more than 13 years of experience. He is an alumnus of the reputed AIIMS, New Delhi who has been in the field of minimally invasive urology and urologic cancer surgery. He was also awarded a two-year fellowship in Robotic Surgery and Uro-Oncology from AIIMS, New Delhi. He specialises in minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic surgeries for the management of urologic cancers such as prostate, kidney, and bladder cancers. He is also an expert in andrology and male infertility, a crucial but often neglected field in our country.