Current Status and Future Prospect of Robotic Surgery in Korea

Sung, Nak Song; Kim, Seon Hahn

Abstract

Since the first clinical application of "the da Vinci system" in 2005 in Korea, robotic surgery, an emerging technology in minimally invasive surgery (MIS), has been rapidly adopted in a variety of surgical fields, and approximately 7,000 robotic surgeries have been performed annually in recent years. In past years, Korean surgeons have played a pivotal role in development of robotic surgery, particularly in the general surgery field. A major advantage of robotic surgery is to make a more precise procedure possible, especially in a confined area with magnified three-dimensional vision, enhanced dexterity by endowrist and stable camera control, and better ergonomics, thus adds the benefits of MIS, such as improvement of oncologic surgery quality and better functional preservation. For these reasons, it has been used prominently in prostate, thyroid, and rectal surgery. However, it is also true that several controversies such as less evidence for efficacy and cost-effectiveness, a longer operation time, and absence of haptic sensation have continued. In this article, we reviewed the current status of robotic surgery mainly based on a report from National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency (NECA) and discussed the future prospects on the basis of recent literature and our clinical experiences.