da Vinci Robotic Surgery
The da Vinci® surgical system gives your surgeon an advanced set of instruments to use in performing robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery. The term “robotic” often misleads people. Robots don’t perform surgery. Your surgeon performs surgery with da Vinci by using instruments that he or she guides via a console.
The da Vinci system translates your surgeon’s hand movements at the console in real time, bending and rotating the instruments while performing the procedure. The tiny wristed instruments move like a human hand, but with a greater range of motion. The da Vinci vision system also delivers highly magnified, 3D high-definition views of the surgical area. The instrument size makes it possible for surgeons to operate through one or a few small incisions.
The da Vinci System is a sophisticated robotic platform designed to expand the surgeon's capabilities and offer a minimally invasive option for major surgeries. The da Vinci System overcomes the limitations of both traditional open surgery and conventional minimally invasive surgery.
The System cannot be programmed and it cannot make decisions on its own. The da Vinci System requires that every surgical maneuver be performed with direct input from your Surgeon.
The benefits of using the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System over more traditional surgical methods are many. Patients experience less pain, less blood loss, less risk of infection, shorter hospital stays and a faster recovery period. Benefits to surgeons include greater precision and improved dexterity to enhanced views of the surgical sites and more.
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This is one of the most frequently asked questions we hear! Dr Ambani fully controls the entire procedure - NOT the robotic technology. The technology is a tool and does not replace the role of your Surgeon during your procedure. The da Vinci system cannot "think" on its own. It only responds to your surgeon's precise hand and finger movements. Your surgeon is in the operating room, directing the procedure the entire time.
Yes, robotic surgery is a type of minimally invasive surgery. A minimally invasive surgery uses small incisions rather than large ones, or uses existing entryways into the body. Laparoscopic surgery and robotic surgery are both minimally invasive.
During a standard laparoscopic procedure, your surgeon stands next to the operating room bed and utilizes hand-held instruments to perform your procedure. This requires a series of small incisions. Using robotic technology, instead, your surgeon is seated at a console, using their own hands to maneuver the arms and instruments of the da Vinci system. Again, this requires just a few small incisions. From that console, your surgeon has 3D high-definition vision and the ability to rotate her hands in angles and to degrees that would otherwise be impossible to achieve.
Robotic surgery is safer and typically results in a number of key benefits for patients, including:
- Requires just a few tiny incisions for minimal scarring
- Faster after-surgery recovery (days versus weeks)
- Significantly less pain and less blood loss
- Reduced complications
- Reduced hospital stays
- Reduced recovery time
- Less risk of infection
- Faster return to normal activities
- Overall increased satisfaction
This technology was approved for use in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000.
Dr Ambani has performed numerous Robotic procedures since 2011.
One of the Robotic arms has a camera which sends real-time images to your surgeon, seated at a console. In fact, the images your surgeon sees using da Vinci are more highly magnified, with a sharper resolution, than what she would see standing over you.
A surgeon cannot simply walk into an operating room and start using a robotic surgical system without proper training. Dr Ambani has obtained specialized training to operate the da Vinci Surgical System.
Robotic surgery is available for many but not all gynecologic surgical procedures. Sometimes, even if a robotic option is available, it might not be the best approach for you.
The decision to surgically treat a patient involves many considerations. Not every patient is an appropriate candidate for a minimally invasive procedure. Dr Ambani work closely with every patient, discussing treatment options and helping them decide on the best course of action — which may include robotic-assisted surgery.