Non-robotic minimally invasive surgery is also known as endoscopic surgery. You also may be familiar with terms like  laparoscopic surgery, thoracoscopic surgery, or “keyhole” surgery. These are minimally invasive procedures that utilize an endoscope to reach internal organs through very small incisions.

During endoscopic surgery the surgeon inserts a thin, flexible tube with a video camera through a small incision or a natural orifice like the mouth or nostrils. The tube has a channel to utilize tiny surgical instruments, which the surgeon uses while viewing the organs on a computer monitor.

This technique allows the surgeon to see inside the patient’s body and operate through a much smaller incision than would otherwise be required of traditional open surgery.

Surgeons use robotic technology to expand the kinds of patients who can be treated in a less invasive way, allowing for more closed, minimally invasive surgeries.

One example of robotic-assisted surgery is when surgeons operate from a console equipped with two master controllers that maneuver four robotic arms. This enables the surgeon to see the surgical procedure better than ever before using a high-definition 3-D image on the console. Computer technology replaces actual hand movements and increases the precision of each maneuver.