Abstract

The field of abdominal wall reconstruction has experienced the progression of minimally invasive techniques including the robotic approach, which enables surgeons to perform the most advanced operations with minimal tissue trauma, decreased risk of complications, and improved ergonomics which mimic the human hand movements with enhanced visualization. The robotic applications in complex abdominal wall reconstruction surgery for ventral, incisional, and umbilical hernia repair in high-risk patients have revolutionized the way in which surgery is performed in the United States and other countries. This highly dynamic and technically difficult subspecialty of General Surgery has witnessed the production of high-quality randomized controlled trials, meta analyses, prospective and retrospective cohort studies which have established, in many instances, superior results to those of laparoscopy and at least non-inferior outcomes. The following lecture will present an abbreviated yet thorough overview of the current status of robotic abdominal wall reconstruction surgery. It will also illustrate the advances that have been achieved to date as a product of perseverance, determination, and the pursuit of innovation with patient safety as the priority.