Robot-assisted general surgery

With the initiation of laparoscopic techniques in general surgery, we have seen a significant expansion of minimally in-vasive techniques in the last 16 years. More recently, robotic-assisted laparoscopy has moved into the general surgeon's armamentarium to address some of the shortcomings of la-paroscopic surgery. AESOP (Computer Motion, Goleta, CA) addressed the issue of visualization as a robotic camera hold-er. With the introduction of the ZEUS robotic surgical system (Computer Motion), the ability to remotely operate laparo-scopic instruments became a reality. US Food and Drug Administration approval in July 2000 of the da Vinci robotic surgical system (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA) further de-fined the ability of a robotic-assist device to address limita-tions in laparoscopy. This includes a significant improvement in instrument dexterity, dampening of natural hand tremors