Robotic surgery, or computer-assisted surgery, is a specific kind of minimally invasive surgery. “Minimally invasive” involves the usage of miniature surgical equipment and a number of small incisions.

A robot is generally used, which mimics a surgeon’s hand movements, while at the same time minimising tremors. This innovative and new method of surgery is widely regarded to be the future of surgical procedures.

Any innovative medical product or procedure has to first undergo stringent checks and trials before it can be made available to the general public. On this note, robotic surgery has also undergone several stages of testing and is considered increasingly safe. Casualties and errors from robotic surgery are on the decline.

There have been several changes to the procedure since it was first performed successfully in 1992. Doctors are getting accustomed to the new technology and robotic surgery definitely has the potential to replace traditional surgery methods in the future.

Robotic surgery has several benefits over conventional surgical techniques. Some of them are:

• Quick Recovery: In robotic surgery, patients recover sooner as compared to open surgical methods. Most people are able to resume daily activities few weeks after surgery.
• Less invasive: Robotic surgery uses several miniature cuts in the body and no larger incisions are required. This makes it less invasive and safer as compared to traditional surgery.
• Minimal pain: As it is minimally invasive, patients usually feel little to no pain following surgery.
• Less chance of infection: As robotic surgery is fully automated and less invasive, risk of infection following robotic surgery is typically much lower than that of open surgery.

Any insurance that includes coverage for minimally invasive surgery should also cover robotic surgery. However, since it is a new procedure, some insurance companies may not provide support for robotic surgery. It is advised to check the terms and conditions of the insurance for further details.

Instead of using a large incision, laparoscopic surgery uses several small cuts to perform a surgical procedure. Robotic surgery is a specialised subtype of laparoscopic surgery which uses no direct manpower to perform the surgery. The surgeon who performs the robotic surgery sits at the control console a few feet away from the surgical table and controls the movement of the robot, which performs the surgery.

Robot-assisted Surgery shares the same risks as that of open or laparoscopic surgery, such as the risk of infection, severe bleeding, reactions to anaesthesia and several other surgical complications. However, since surgery has evolved greatly over the years, these complications are seldom seen and usually the surgery is successful without any complications. In addition to the above-mentioned risks, Robot-Assisted Surgery has few other risks such as mechanical failure or human error while operating the sophisticated technology. This may cause nerve injuries, among other conditions.

There are several types of robot surgeries performed on different parts of the body. Some of them are listed below.

• Robotic Radiosurgery for cancerous or benign tumors.
• Robotic Surgery of the Spine
• Robotic Surgery for Lung Cancer
• Robotic Surgery for deformities of the ears, nose and the throat.
• Robotic Surgery to cure hair loss

Robotic surgery uses sophisticated technology in order to assist the surgeon operating on the patient. It is due to this reason that it may take longer than traditional open surgery or even laparoscopic surgery. A part of this additional time is used to set up the machinery and the robot and the rest is used up in performing the surgery.

The cost of Robotic Surgery in India varies across different cities and hospitals.