Principles of robot-assisted colorectal surgery

Background: Robotic-assisted surgery is gaining popularity and is about to become the leading principle for less invasive procedures in colorectal diseases. Despite the great achievements made in terms of robotic technology and the high ergonomics that current systems offer, the application of these devices still places special demands on the user and requires comprehensive training and knowledge. Methods: This review article combines recommendations from the current literature with personal experience in performing robotic interventions and supplements these with expert knowledge derived from scientific conferences and peer-to-peer meetings. Results: The two essential aspects of robotic surgery are case-related planning and standardization of the technique, which both consider the special technical possibilities and limitations of the systems used. The article provides comprehensive recommendations in this regard and discusses the essential steps of left- and right-sided interventions. Conclusion: This article is aimed at surgeons performing their first robot-assisted procedures in colorectal surgery and aims to help them to optimize their own approach, but it might also feature interesting insights for persons already trained in robotic colorectal surgery.