Applications of surgical robotics in general surgery
From the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed in 1985 to the introduction of robotic surgical telemanipulators in general surgery in the early 2000s, the field of general surgery has changed tremendously, to the point that isn't general anymore; indeed this concept barely exists as a surgical discipline outside rural areas. It has however evolved into the last subspecialty of what was once known as general surgery, and it called Gastrointestinal or Alimentary Tract surgery. The factor the influenced the most on this change was the adoption of Minimally Invasive Surgery in the late 1980s, which selected the General Surgeons that were interested on the abdominal cavity and the gastrointestinal tract. Furthermore, the success and wide spread acceptance of the Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy, brought this field to the spotlight. Nowadays laparoscopic anti-reflux surgical procedures, esophagectomies, colectomies and bariatric surgery are done routinely in major centers across the United States, Europe and many parts of the world. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
