Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery in Gynaecology: First Experiences and Review of the Literature Roboter-assistierte laparoskopische Chirurgie in der Gynäkologie: Erste Erfahrungen und Übersicht der Literatur

Summary: Background: Current applications of robotics include surgical assistance, dexterity enhancement and image-guided therapy. Our study reports on a series of minimally invasive tubal reanastomoses performed using robotics, evaluating their feasibility and safety.Methods: Tubal surgery using the da Vinci™ surgical system was performed on consecutive patients, who requested restoration of fertility after tubal sterilisation.Results: A total of 8 tubes in five patients were anastomosed and patency confirmed; mean total operating time was 189 ± 41 minutes. Hystero-contrast-sonography after 6 weeks demonstrated patency in 7 of the 8 fallopian tubes anastomosed. There have been two pregnancies after a mean follow-up time of 5 months.Conclusions: This initial study documents the feasibility of robotically assisted surgery in gynaecology, tubal reanastomosis being the main indication. For the moment, however, in gynaecologic surgery, there are limited indications for its widespread use.