Biliary surgery can often be very complex with difficult access issues, small structures to be manipulated and sutured and close proximity to major vessels. Additionally, biliary surgery is often reoperative. All of these issues have the potential to be aided by the use of technology which provides three-dimensional vision, excellent illumination and access, with steady instrument control under maximal magnification. The robot is such a technology which is currently available.
A search of the PubMed and EMBASE databases performed on August 10, 2007, using the search strategy “robotic AND (biliary surgery OR choledochojejunostomy OR choledochoduodenostomy OR hepaticojejunostomy)” found only 15 articles, of which only two articles included operations performed on humans. None were performed on adults. None of the operations were performed totally intracorporeally.
To our knowledge, ours is the first published human report of robotic choledochojejunostomy with intracorporeal Roux limb construction.
Session: Podium Video Presentation
Program Number: V044