ABSTRACT
Over the past several years, there has been an ever-increasing presence of robotics in the operating room. These devices have been designed to help the surgeon overcome the limitations of conventional open surgery and laparoscopic surgery. These limitations range from the decreasing availability of qualified surgical assistants, through the limited dexterity offered by conventional laparoscopic instruments, to the lack of a three-dimensional operating field.1 The potential advantages of such systems set the stage for the next major change in the field of surgery. As availability increases and costs decline, proficiency with such devices will be required by all future generations of surgeons. Additionally, the demands of patients for a robotic operation are expected to increase as more media attention is placed on this technology.
