The Role of Technology in the Implementation and Learning of Minimally-Invasive Surgery

The assimilation of the surgical techniques by the resident doctors should not affect patients’ safety. Practicing certain surgical gestures in a repetitive manner allows a better understanding of the technique and the correct acquisition of the manual skills. The use of simulators as a part of the training programs has considerably reduced the number of surgical errors and has improved the operative time and the quality of robotic and laparoscopic surgical procedures. The latest technologies, like 3D vision, next generation instruments, the use of intraoperative imaging have enabled the development of minimally-invasive surgery, so that a number of laparoscopic and robotic procedures have become the standard of care. Our objective was to evaluate the manner in which the latest technologies influence the development of minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopic and robotic). Also, we assessed the main parameters that influence the learning curve of these two types of minimally invasive approach. We observed that the use of the robotic platform during the learning curve allows the performance of laparoscopic procedures with the same accuracy, but with much lower costs.