Robotic-assisted laparoscopic adrenalectomy.

Abstract

Robotic surgical systems have recently been used to perform laparoscopic procedures in several diseases. We report the initial 2 cases of robotic-assisted laparoscopic adrenalectomy from Taiwan. Both cases were performed transperitoneally using the ZEUS surgical system (Intuitive Surgical Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA). This system consists of 3 interactive robotic arms and a remote control unit, allowing the surgeon to control the 2 instrument arms and 1 camera arm via a surgical console. The key component of the ZEUS surgical system is the MicroWrist (Computer Motion Inc., CA, USA) technology, which allows the surgeon to roll, pitch and grip laparoscopic tools freely and provides the surgeon with a 3-dimensional view of the operative field. Postoperative courses were uneventful and the patients were discharged on the third and fourth postoperative days, respectively. No intraoperative or postoperative complications were encountered. These cases suggest that robotic-assisted laparoscopic adrenalectomy is technically feasible, and that the role of robotic surgery in urologic laparoscopy is likely to expand in Taiwan.