At the cornerstone of robotic surgery is the da Vinci ® Surgical System–a sophisticated platform designed to expand the surgeon's capabilities.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a condition that may require surgery, you owe it to yourself to learn about all of your medical options, including one of the most effective, least invasive surgical treatments, robotic surgery.
How does robotic surgery differ from laparoscopic surgery? They are both minimally invasive procedures that provide you with the most precise surgery and the shortest recovery, but a few key differences exist:
| Robotic Surgery | Laparoscopic Surgery | |
| Incision | Tiny incisions | Tiny incisions |
| Surgical instruments |
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| Where your surgeon stands | At the console | Next to you |
| How surgery is performed | Surgeon directs the robot's movements from the console; the robotic instruments in your body respond in real-time | Surgeon operates using the instruments previously inserted in the incisions |
| Level of dexterity | Highest possible; robotic instruments can rotate a full 360 degrees and are more flexible than a human hand or wrist | Limited range of motion compared to robotic |
| Ability to access hard-to-reach places | Incomparable; the robot has the dexterity to reach previously inaccessible areas of the body | Greater compared to traditional open surgery due to smaller instruments; less than compared to robotic surgery |
| Recovery time | Shorter compared to traditional surgery | Shorter compared to traditional surgery |
| Risk of infection and blood loss | Rare | Rare |
MedStar Medical Group Anesthesiology, the exclusive anesthesia provider for MedStar Health. Learn more about our anesthesiology services and providers before your surgery.
