Robot-assisted Laparoscopic Surgery
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| Robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery helps surgeons perform complex procedures through tiny incisions. |
Our urology surgeons use robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery to treat a variety of conditions that previously only were treated with open surgery. The most common robot-assisted laparoscopic surgeries in pediatric urology include:
- Bladder surgery.
- Genitourinary reconstructive surgery.
- Nephrectomy (surgery to remove the kidney).
- Nephroureterectomy (surgery to remove the kidney and ureter).
- Ureteral reimplantation (surgery to fix the way an abnormally positioned ureter connects with the bladder).
- Ureteropelvic junction obstruction repair or pyeloplasty (surgery to repair a blockage between the kidney and the ureter).
Advantages of robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery
Robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery helps surgeons perform complex procedures through tiny incisions. For the patient, benefits compared to open surgery may include:
- Less pain.
- Less blood loss.
- Less scarring.
- Shorter hospital stays.
- Shorter recovery time.
Safety
Previously, the only way a pediatric patient could undergo robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery in Wisconsin was at an adult hospital. For children, it is safer to have this procedure done at a pediatric facility where the surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists and other care providers are all specialty trained to treat children.
How it works
The robot-assisted, minimally invasive (da Vinci™ surgical system) approach allows the surgeon to operate with three interactive robotic arms while sitting at a console. The system interprets the surgeon's hand movements to the robotic instruments, which can move in a tiny surgical area with more precision and greater range of motion than the human wrist.
Robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery involves making only a few of incisions that are under 1 centimeter to insert for the camera and for instruments to perform the procedure.
One of the robot's arms holds a camera that is lowered through one of the incisions and lets the surgeon see inside the body in high-definition, 3-D view while operating. The system provides up to 10 times magnification, helping the surgeon to see small structures even more clearly than in open surgery.