Robotic Gallbladder Surgery: Minimally Invasive, Fast Recovery

For patients that are not single-site candidates, we also offer a minimally-invasive robotic gallbladder removal alternative. This surgery or cholecystectomy is routinely performed with four small incisions (similar to traditional laparoscopic surgery). The benefits would include improved optics (3D high definition camera with a magnified view of the anatomy), wristed instrumentation, and Firefly technology. The remote center (limiting the movements of the instrumentation at the incision site) results in less strain/damage to the surrounding tissue which equals less pain.

Some common symptoms of gallbladder disease include:

• Pain in the mid- to upper-right section of the abdomen
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Fever and chills
• Diarrhea
• Unusual urine or stool

1. Faster Recovery and Reduced Scarring
   Patients who undergo our single-site surgery experience faster gallbladder surgery recovery due to reduced scarring. Nobody wants to stay in bed for weeks on end recovering from surgery. With robotic gallbladder surgery, you’ll heal faster and get back to your daily life sooner.
2. Less Pain and Blood Loss
   During the procedure, the surgeon cuts a single, one-inch incision on the patient’s abdomen. With such a small opening, you’ll feel less pain and bleed less. As such, a blood transfusion may not be necessary.
3. Safer and More Precise
   The robotic arms nullify any hand tremors common with human surgeons. This makes the procedure safer and more precise for the best results.

Before the procedure, the patient is injected with a green dye. During the procedure a near-infrared light is used on the camera that causes the green dye within the bile ducts near the gallbladder to glow bright green. This allows improved visualization of the anatomy. SURGCO utilizes Firefly™ technology to view blood flow through vessels and tissue, enabling real-time imaging of bile ducts during the procedure.

Robotic-assisted gallbladder removal surgery involves the use of robotic equipment. A laparoscope and surgical tools are usually attached to the robotic arms. The surgeon cuts a single, tiny opening on your belly button to access the gallbladder. The laparoscope will then send magnified images of the gallbladder and surrounding tissues back to the surgeon who undertakes the procedure from a computer console connected to the robotic technology.

The robotic arms mimic the surgeon’s hand, wrist, and finger movements in real-time – all while filtering out any shaky hand movements. The robotic arms boast better rotation and bending movements compared to human arms. This allows for improved precision during surgery.

Meanwhile, the console displays a three-dimensional view of the area being operated on. As such, with a better view of the ailing gallbladder, the surgeon has better control. This translates to a faster surgery procedure with less risk of post-surgical complications.

SURGCO also utilizes Firefly™ technology to view blood flow through vessels and tissue, enabling real-time imaging of ducts during surgical procedures.