GENERAL SURGERY

Gastrointestinal Surgery

Robotic technology has declared itself in the field of gastrointestinal laparoscopic surgery.^[18] The first surgical operation using robotic telemanipulation was a laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed in 1997 in Brussels, Belgium.^[19] Two U.S. companies have FDA and European Union approval for clinical applications of their robotic systems for general surgery. Robot-assisted surgical techniques permit the surgeon to provide the smallest possible incision and lowest surgical stress. This technology allows surgeons to work on a very small scale in cramped spaces. Other procedures performed include splenectomy,^[20] Heller myotomy, bowel resection pyloroplasty,^[21] adrenalectomy,^[22] and exploratory laparotomy, with antireflux surgery being the most common.^[1]