Current experiences with robotic surgery at Severance Hospital, Yonsei University in Korea

We started performing laparoscopic cholecystectomies in 1991. Since that time, many surgeons have been trained in laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgery, and laparoscopic surgery has been used in numerous procedures, with patients benefitting as a result. We performed the first automated surgery in Korea using Automated Endoscopic System for Optimal Positioning in June 1996. Inspired by Inbae Yoon and assisted by his generous donation, our hospital started the IB Yoon Multi-Specialty Endoscopic Research & Training Center in 1998. Subsequently in March 2005, we started the Severance Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery Center. The establishment of these centers has enabled us to widen the use of laparoscopic surgery and to teach many surgeons the principles of and the techniques involved in laparoscopic and robotic surgery. We performed our first robotic surgery using the da Vinci Surgical System in July 2005. In the 4 years since introducing the da Vinci Surgical System, we have successfully performed more than 2600 robotic surgical procedures. As the collaboration between medicine and robotic engineering produces more technically advanced results, we hopefully can develop our own version of the robotic system in the near future.ope