Robotic surgery cuts hospitalisation time from a week to days
The department of Otolaryngology, head, and neck surgery at PGI in India completed its first two successful robotics surgeries this week. The less invasive technology enabled the patients' hospitalisation times to be reduced from one week to two days. 

Chandigarh: The department of Otolaryngology, head and neck surgery PGI , performed its first robotic surgery on Tuesday successfully. The first two cases were done on Tuesday. The surgical procedures were performed by two senior surgeons Professor Naresh Panda and Professor Ashok Gupta . Both surgeons underwent hands-on training on cadavers in UA recently before the actual surgical procedures. Both surgeries were performed on female patients of the age 15 years and 25 years.One of the patient suffered with hemangioma of tongue--where a portion of the tongue swells and if left untreated can result in profuse bleeding. "Unlike the conventional surgery, it is very precise and the hospitalisation days have been reduced from a week to two days," said Dr Gupta . The Transoral Robotic surgery is suitable for patients suffering from early tumors of the head and neck which required an external approach earlier. This surgery can also be performed for surgical treatment of snoring, and for reducing the bulk of the back part of the tongue. The robotic surgery entails less pain, early discharge from the hospital and much less morbidity than conventional surgery.Advances in surgical equipment have made it possible to reach these tumors through the mouth by using robotic technology and minimally invasive techniques. The surgical approach allows for a guided endoscope to provide a high resolution, 3D image of the back of the mouth and throat that is a difficult area to reach with conventional tools.