Minimally Invasive Surgery for Colorectal Conditions
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The lower part of your digestive tract, called the large intestine, is comprised of the colon and rectum and is also sometimes called the colorectal region. It can develop issues that range from occasionally bothersome to life-threatening. As an example, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in men and women who live in the U.S., with more than 145,000 new cases expected in 2019.1??There are also a number of noncancerous conditions that can cause pain and discomfort. These include, but are not limited to, inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, blockages and ruptures, infected pockets (diverticulitis) and abscesses, and others that can take a toll of your quality of life and may require medical care. In the case of cancer or when lifestyle changes, medicine, and other options do not ease symptoms of noncancerous conditions, your doctor may suggest surgery.
In the past, surgeons made large incisions in skin and muscle so that they could directly see and work on the area of concern. This is called open surgery. Today doctors still perform open surgery, but can also perform many colorectal procedures using minimally invasive laparoscopic or robotic-assisted surgery, possibly with da Vinci technology. Both minimally invasive surgical options require a few small incisions that doctors use to insert surgical equipment and a camera for viewing. In laparoscopic surgery, doctors use special long-handled tools to perform surgery while viewing magnified images from the laparoscope (camera) on a video screen.
What is a da Vinci surgical system?
Da Vinci surgical systems are comprised of three components: surgeon console, patient-side cart, and vision cart. (1) The Surgeon’s Console. (2) Patient cart, (3) Vision cart.
The Surgeon’s Console: The Surgeon’s Console is where your surgeon sits during the procedure, has a crystal-clear 3D high definition view of your anatomy and controls the instruments. The tiny instruments are “wristed” and move like a human hand but with a far greater range of motion.??Patient cart: The patient side cart is positioned near the patient on the operating table. It is where the instruments used during the operation move in real time inside the patient’s body in response to your surgeon’s hand movements at the surgeon’s console.
?Vision cart: The vision cart makes communication between the components of the system possible and provides a screen for the operating room team to view the operation in real time.