Da Vinci surgery is a minimally invasive, robot-assisted surgical procedure. It is used in urology, visceral surgery and gynecology, among others. Doctors often use the Da Vinci system for prostatectomies, kidney operations and operations on the urinary tract.
Here you will find further information as well as selected specialists and centers for da Vinci surgery.
The Da Vinci system is a robot-assisted, high-precision surgical procedure developed by the Californian company Intuitive Surgical.
Robot-assisted does not mean that a robot performs the operation. It merely involves robotic arms that are capable of significantly more precise and tremor-free movements than a human surgeon.
The Da Vinci robotic arms carry out the movements specified by the surgeon in charge. The procedure is primarily used for operations that require very high precision.
Operations with the Da Vinci system are minimally invasive. No large tissue incision is required, only several very small incisions. The surgeon uses these incisions to guide the robotic arms
if necessary. The surgeon sees the camera image on a monitor and can use it to orientate himself at the site of the operation and control the instruments inside the body.
In a da Vinci operation, the surgeon specifies the movements and transfers them to movable robotic arms © Sandra Foyt | AdobeStock
The procedure is used in various areas of visceral surgery (soft tissue surgery), as well as primarily in
Within these specialist areas, the procedure is used in oncology and reconstructive (restorative) urology, for example.
A common example of da Vinci surgery is prostatectomy, the removal of the prostate. This procedure is usually necessary due to prostate carcinoma(prostate cancer). The prostate lies directly below the bladder, where it surrounds the urethra.
To avoid damaging important nerves and vessels, the surgeon dissects it precisely. This requires enormous precision surgery skills. The surgeon must proceed with extreme caution so as not to jeopardize the patient's erectile function.
The urethral sphincter must remain intact during suturing in order to preserve the patient's urinary continence. Very high precision is also essential in this context. This can be achieved with the help of the Da Vinci robot.
During kidney operations, the surgeon removes
The most common reason for a (partial) kidney removal is carcinoma or other forms of kidney cancer.
If the functionality of the kidney is to be preserved, precision surgery at the highest level is essential.
Another common indication for the Da Vinci procedure is surgery on the urinary tract:
Like prostatectomy and nephrectomy, cystectomy, the removal of the urinary bladder, is usually performed due to malignant tumors such as carcinomas(bladder cancer).
Ureter operations include
The prerequisite for an operation is always a comprehensive consultation between the doctor and patient. In this context, the doctor will explain the various options and the respective risks of the surgical techniques.
Before the actual operation, the surgeon introduces carbon dioxide into the patient's abdomen via an initial small incision. This raises the abdominal wall so that the surgeon has a good overview of the operating field and can move his instruments optimally.
During the procedure, the surgeon sits at a control console equipped with a screen. The screen shows an enlarged view of the surgical field from the robot's camera. The surgeon performs hand movements at the console, which are transmitted to the four robotic arms.
The Da Vinci system filters out involuntary movements by the surgeon and automatically compensates for twitching or hand tremors, for example. The system also enables scaling that converts the surgeon's coarse movements into finer instrument movements. This makes extremely fine surgical techniques possible.
The robot cannot act independently. It is therefore not possible, for example, to program it and have it operate automatically. Every single movement is controlled manually by the surgeon.
The robotic arms of the Da Vinci system carry out the surgeon's movements at the control console © Georgii | AdobeStock
From a medical point of view, the use of the Da Vinci robot has great advantages due to the tissue-sparing incisions:
For you as a patient, this means compared to conventional surgical methods
Patients are usually allowed to walk a few steps the day after the da Vinci operation. The nursing staff will support you in this. Particularly in the first few days, the doctor in charge will monitor wound healing and pay attention to any special features specific to the operation.
As a rule, you will be discharged very quickly after the da Vinci operation. Further aftercare can then be provided by a registered specialist.
Depending on the procedure, it may be advisable to start physiotherapy exercises straight away. After a prostatectomy, for example, you train the sphincter muscle of the urethra.
Some patients experience sore muscles in the shoulder area for several days afterwards as a result of the positioning during the procedure.
You may also experience a feeling of fullness and a certain amount of pressure pain in the first few days. This is due to the introduction of carbon dioxide into the abdominal cavity. This feeling will also pass.
The possible complications vary depending on the diagnosis and the surgical technique. In principle, they are the same with the Da Vinci system as with conventional procedures. However, the risk of them occurring is often lower, for example with regard to
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