What is
Robotic Surgery?
Robotic surgery is a minimally invasive surgical technique that uses a robotic surgical system to give the surgeon enhanced precision, control and vision through tiny incisions.
How it works
The robotic surgical system is not an autonomous robot — the surgeon is in complete control at all times, seated at a console with a high-definition, magnified 3D view of the surgical field. The system translates the surgeon’s hand movements, with tremor-filtering and precision scaling, into the micro-movements of small wristed instruments inserted into the body through tiny incisions.
Compared to conventional open surgery, this approach means is usually associated with smaller cuts, less blood loss, less post-operative pain, a shorter hospital stay and a faster return to everyday life — while maintaining comparable cancer control outcomes.
Benefits and limitations
Dr Tan’s approach
Dr Tan completed his robotic surgery fellowship at University College London Hospitals (UCLH), followed by a Society of Urologic Oncology fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA.
His particular focus is on preservation of function alongside good cancer control — including nerve-sparing, bladder neck-sparing, and Retzius-sparing prostatectomy; organ-sparing cystectomy; and completely intracorporeal (entirely robotic) urinary reconstruction.