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World J Clin Cases. Mar 16, 2015; 3(3): 265-269
Published online Mar 16, 2015. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v3.i3.265
Robotics and surgery: A sustainable relationship?
Ankur Khajuria
Ankur Khajuria, School of Medicine, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ London, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Khajuria A contributed to the conception and design, review of literature, drafting and revision, critical review of manuscript and final approval for publication.
Conflict-of-interest: The author declares that he has no competing interests.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Ankur Khajuria, Medical Student, School of Medicine, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, SW7 2AZ London, United Kingdom. ankur.khajuria09@imperial.ac.uk
Telephone: +44-1536-410095
Received: July 23, 2014
Peer-review started: July 23, 2014
First decision: September 2, 2014
Revised: November 24, 2014
Accepted: January 15, 2015
Article in press: January 19, 2015
Published online: March 16, 2015
Processing time: 233 Days and 11.1 Hours
Abstract

Robotic surgery is increasingly being employed to overcome the disadvantages associated with use of conventional techniques such as laparoscopy. However, despite significant promise, there are some clear disadvantages and robust evidence base supporting the use of robotic assistance remains lacking. In this paper, the advantages and drivers for robotics will be discussed, its drawbacks and its future role in surgery.

Keywords: Robotics; Surgery; Simulation; Patient safety

Core tip: Robotic technology is increasingly being employed in surgery to overcome the disadvantages associated with use of conventional techniques such as laparoscopy. However, despite significant promise, robust evidence base supporting the use of robotic assistance remains lacking. Prospective, multicentre randomised controlled trials to evaluate efficacy, long-term outcomes, safety and cost are the next steps before widespread uptake of this technology to treat patients. Moreover, with the unprecedented need for patient safety, it is imperative that adequate training and assessment strategies are in place to bridge the gap between conventional techniques and robotic surgery without harm to patients.