5 Benefits of Performing Gynecologic Surgery with Robotic Assistance

When conservative treatment measures don’t do enough to alleviate a serious gynecologic problem or condition, surgery is often the next best step. Luckily, there are effective surgical treatments for many serious women’s health issues, ranging from severe pelvic pain, uterine fibroids, and endometriosis, to pelvic organ prolapse and reproductive cancers. 

While it can be stressful to learn that you need surgery to resolve disruptive symptoms and restore your health, advanced surgical techniques have made gynecologic procedures safer, far less invasive, and easier to recover from than ever before. 

Here at Panhandle Obstetrics and Gynecology in Amarillo, Texas, our skilled team performs surgery with one of the most sophisticated techniques available: the da Vinci® robotic surgery system. This state-of-the-art platform combines robotic precision with minimally invasive laparoscopic methods for optimal results. 

Here, we explain the da Vinci approach to gynecologic surgery and explore the five major benefits that come with it.

Robotic-assisted surgery basics 

Robotic-assisted surgery — also known as robotic surgery — is a highly advanced form of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery where your surgeon uses a computer-controlled robot to assist and enhance their performance. 

In gynecology, we can use this game-changing technique to:

• Complete a partial or total hysterectomy 
• Address endometriosis pain (resection surgery)
• Carry out a myomectomy (fibroid removal) 
• Perform a pelvic organ prolapse repair procedure
• Treat cervical, uterine, and ovarian cancer

When performing robotic-assisted procedures using the da Vinci surgical system, our highly trained surgeon works from a computer console in the operating room. This precision console allows them to control three thin robotic arms, each of which holds miniaturized instruments that have a wider range of motion than the human hand. 

Looking through a specialized 3D camera that’s attached to a fourth robotic arm, your surgeon sees a magnified, high-definition image of your surgical site. 

Your surgeon’s exact hand, wrist, and finger movements — from making the tiny, minimally invasive incisions to performing the operation itself — are transmitted through the computer to the robotic arms and their remarkably dexterous instruments. The surgical team supervises at your bedside.

Key benefits of the da Vinci approach

Performing gynecologic surgery with robotic assistance allows our team to carry out highly complex operations as well as exceptionally delicate procedures with exacting precision, all through tiny incisions. 

As the most precise and least invasive surgical technique available, robotic-assisted surgery comes with five major benefits: 

1. Less tissue trauma and blood loss

Unlike conventional open surgery, which typically uses one long incision, or even minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, which uses several short incisions, robotic-assisted surgery uses very small, ultra-minimally invasive incisions that keep tissue trauma and blood loss to an absolute minimum.

2. Lower risk of infection and complications

Besides causing minimal blood loss and trauma to healthy tissue, the tiny incisions used in robotic-assisted surgery help minimize your risk of infection and postoperative complications. 

Think of it this way: Longer incisions cause more trauma to otherwise healthy tissue, meaning your body has a lot more healing to do afterward. The greater the surgical trauma or interference, the higher the risk of infection and complications afterward. 

3. Reduced pain and a quicker recovery

Robotic-assisted gynecologic procedures are associated with less postoperative pain, briefer hospital stays, and an overall faster recovery compared to traditional open and laparoscopic surgeries. This translates to a more rapid return to normal life and activities, including urinary continence and sexual function.

4. Far less postoperative scarring 

Smaller incisions and fewer sutures have a major aesthetic benefit too: less postoperative scar tissue. Having much smaller scars following surgery isn’t just a cosmetic concern, though; often, larger surgery scars can feel tight, itchy, or painful until they’re done healing and become more stable.

5. Greater likelihood of a better outcome

Given that the da Vinci robot’s “hands” have such a high degree of dexterity, the surgeon who’s controlling them has far better accuracy, flexibility, and control — and a wider range of motion — than they would under normal circumstances. 

Robotic assistance gives surgeons the ability to operate in very tight spaces that would only be accessible through the long incision of open surgery. On top of improved access to virtually inaccessible areas, robotic platforms provide super-enhanced visualization of your surgical site, including concealed areas that aren’t visible to the naked eye.

All this advanced technology adds up to one major advantage: improved outcomes. 

If you have questions about robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery, we have answers. To learn more or schedule a visit at Panhandle Obstetrics and Gynecology, call our office at 806-359-5468 today.