Robotic Colorectal Surgery

Mr Loganathan performs robotic colorectal surgery using the Da Vinci X robot at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital. This is one of the most technologically advanced robotic surgical systems in the world and a limited number of surgeons in the UK are trained to this type of surgery.

Robotic surgery is a form of minimally invasive or keyhole surgery. It is performed by the operating surgeon who sits at a console controlling the robotic arms. The surgeon has a magnified 3D view of the inside of the body and this in conjunction with the advanced keyhole instruments allows extremely precise movements inside the body.  In addition, the manoeuvrability of the robotic arms enables better access to areas that are difficult to reach with conventional keyhole or open surgery.  This is of particular benefit for cancers in the lowest part of the bowel called the rectum. These advanced technologies enable cancerous material to be separated and removed from normal body tissues very accurately.  This ultimately leads to better clearance of the cancer and cancer outcomes.

The surgery can be performed through very small cuts in the abdomen compared to the large cut of traditional surgery which enables a quicker recovery due to less trauma and much less pain in the post operative period. Currently due to the high cost of robotic surgery it is reserved for cancer cases affecting the colon and rectum however it is likely to be offered more widely in the future.