With the further development of medical technology, surgical robots have traveled from abroad to China and are gradually being applied in the fields of urology, general surgery, and gynecology. At present, gynecological surgery generally uses laparoscopy for treatment. Traditional 2D laparoscopy can only display two-dimensional image information. In recent years, 3D laparoscopy has also been applied to gynecological surgery. The surgeon can obtain 3D stereoscopic images by wearing 3D eyes, while the latest 3D robot laparoscopic surgery can directly obtain clear and three-dimensional images through a fixed eyepiece. Recently, the author learned from Professor Yao Shuzhong, the director of the gynecology department at Zhongshan First Hospital, that the department has started using 3D robot laparoscopic surgery for the treatment of gynecological diseases.
Surgical robots are widely used in the field of surgery
It is understood that robot technology was applied in surgical procedures in the 1980s. The first robot approved by the US FDA was named "AESOP". Its essence is to use a robotic arm instead of a surgical assistant to control laparoscopy. The surgeon overcomes the ideological inconsistency between the assistant and the surgeon through a voice control system or foot control, but it cannot be operated independently.
In 2000, the US FDA approved the clinical application of two surgical robot systems, Zeus and Da Vinci. The difference between the two is that the da Vinci surgical system improves degrees of freedom and stereoscopic vision. The da Vinci system is currently the most widely used robot, with over 1000 units sold worldwide so far.
Professor Yao Shuzhong introduced, "Our department has carried out multiple cases of 3D robotic laparoscopic surgery, all of which are patients with cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, and uterine prolapse. Not all gynecological surgeries are suitable for robotic surgery. For example, overly simple gynecological surgeries do not require surgical robots, while overly complex gynecological surgeries require accumulated experience before proceeding."
The Five Advantages of 3D Robot Laparoscopic Surgery
At present, the surgical robot system used in the gynecology department of Zhongshan First Hospital is the da Vinci surgical robot system, which is suitable for many surgical and gynecological fields. Professor Yao Shuzhong pointed out that in the field of gynecology, 3D robotic laparoscopic surgery is mainly used for the treatment of gynecological tumors. Choosing this type of machine for surgery is due to its five major advantages.
Advantage 1. Clear and detailed 3D stereoscopic images: The excellent image processing system enables the surgical field to fully achieve a realistic 3D stereoscopic effect, and the 6-8 times magnification function makes the operating field of view clearer. The operation is more realistic, like being in a TV.
Advantage 2: Beneficial for fine operation: The robotic arm is more stable, avoiding subtle hand tremors. In spaces that human hands cannot reach, robotic hands appear more flexible. Laparoscopic surgery can meet the requirements of open surgery, even surpassing open surgery. The robotic arm can reach the bottom of the pelvic cavity that cannot be reached by human hands, and the incision is much smaller than traditional surgery.
Advantage 3. Reducing the fatigue of surgeons: For complex and time-consuming gynecological surgeries such as gynecological tumors, surgical robots allow doctors to easily perform the surgery without the need for fixed hands to hold the mirror, reducing the likelihood of errors caused by fatigue and increasing the safety of the surgery.
Advantage 4. Short learning curve for doctors compared to laparoscopy: Surgeons have a long learning curve for laparoscopy, and some doctors find it difficult to judge 2D or 3D images. However, robots and 3D laparoscopy provide a realistic sense of three dimensionality, similar to the scenes seen in open surgery. With a little learning and operation, surgical skills can be mastered. In foreign countries, many doctors who have not studied laparoscopy are actually easy to get started with.
Advantage 5. No need for stereoscopic glasses to form a stereoscopic image: 3D laparoscopy and robot 3D laparoscopy surgery are actually the same concept, but 3D laparoscopy requires wearing stereoscopic glasses, while robot surgery does not require them. A fixed eyepiece can directly form a stereoscopic image.
Overall, 3D robotic laparoscopic surgery has attracted increasing attention from various surgical experts due to its numerous advantages, and is increasingly being applied in surgical procedures. However, due to the consumption of disposable consumables in robotic surgery, the surgical cost for treating the same type of disease is about 30000 more than that of laparoscopy, which affects the further popularization of surgical robots due to the high cost. So, 3D robotic laparoscopic surgery has both promising prospects and serious challenges.
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