Robotic Surgery of Colon and Rectum

This is an open access book. Colorectal surgery is one of the most performed procedures in dedicated colorectal and general surgery units worldwide. In the last two decades, the minimally invasive laparoscopic approach has become very popular worldwide, attracting great interest among patients (lower risk of infection, less pain, and faster recovery) and demonstrating excellent oncological results.

Technology is improving rapidly, offering revolutionary innovations, particularly with the advent of robotic surgery, which offers important advantages over laparoscopy for both surgeons and patients: improved ergonomics, wristed instruments, and a better vision. These advantages may be particularly useful for more complex and challenging situations (complete mesocolic excision, low rectal cancer, one-stage treatment of colorectal and liver metastases, etc.), translating into potential improved surgical and oncological results. Although several books have been published on the subject, the great interest in robotic surgery makes it mandatory, in our opinion, to have a general update in view of the latest technical innovations and the results of the most relevant and recent literature.

The book is divided into chapters dealing with the different colorectal segments with their robotic surgical operations and specific technical variants. The new frontiers of benign and emergency colorectal diseases are also considered, as well as the new robotic platforms recently introduced in the healthcare market. Some of them, such as the da Vinci SP single port device, may represent a revolutionary approach for this surgery. Training and cost aspects were also considered.

Graziano Ceccarelli is currently Chief of the General and Robotic Surgery Unit at San Giovanni Battista Hospital, Foligno, Italy. He specialized in General Surgery and in Urology at the University of Siena and obtained his PhD in Advanced Surgical Technologies from the Sapienza University of Rome. He is lecturer of Surgery at the University of Perugia, Italy. In the last ten years he has been the Director of General and Minimally Invasive Surgery Units in different Italian hospitals. He has performed thousands of surgical procedures, mainly using minimally invasive and robotic techniques, in colorectal, upper gastrointestinal, hepato-pancreato-biliary, and obesity surgery. Member of the boards of Italian and international surgical associations (Italian Society of Surgery, Italian Society of Endoscopic Surgery and New Technologies, European Association for Endoscopic Surgery, Association of Italian Hospital Surgeons, Clinical Robotic Surgery Association, etc.), he has published over 170 papers in high impact journals.

Andrea Coratti is currently Director of the Department of General and Emergency Surgery of the Azienda USL Toscana Sud Est, and Director of the School of Robotic Surgery at Grosseto, Italy. During his residency in General Surgery at the University of Siena, he completed a training period in vascular surgery at the University of Granada (Spain). Other significant training experiences included a fellowship in advanced laparoscopic surgery (ILS of Bordeaux, France), and courses in laparoscopic surgery (University of Bologna, Italy), esophageal surgery (University of Padua, Italy), liver surgery (Mauriziano Hospital, Turin, Italy), and pancreatic surgery (University of Verona, Italy). He has performed more than 6600 surgical procedures, of which about 1600 robotically and 1400 laparoscopically, including major hepato-pancreato-biliary, upper gastrointestinal, and colorectal surgery. His scientific activity comprises more than 150 scientific publications, invitations as speaker at international meetings, educational commitments in Italian universities, and proctoring activity in robotic and laparoscopic surgery. In 2022, he was President of the CRSA - Clinical Robotic Surgery Association.