Northwestern Medicine

da Vinci® Surgical System

The innovative da Vinci® Surgery System helps provide the precision needed for a variety of complex procedures, including many gynecologic cancers.

How the system works

The da Vinci® Surgical System works in much the same way as a traditional laparoscopic procedure. Surgeons make small incisions, and a camera lens with a light source and instruments are inserted into your body through small tubes. However, instead of directly manipulating the laparoscopic instruments, surgeons sit at a nearby console and view a magnified three-dimensional image of the surgical site. Controls on the console allow physicians to move surgical instruments inside your body with far more precision, stability, and dexterity than if they were holding the instruments in their hands. In fact, surgical instruments can be rotated up to 540 degrees — an impossibility for the human wrist.

Exceptional clarity

Thanks to the da Vinci® Surgical System, surgeons can also view the surgical site with far greater clarity because:

  • The camera offers a high-resolution, 3-D image
  • Surgeons control the camera and can move it to get the best view possible
  • Everything is magnified, and the degree of magnification is controlled by the surgeons

Benefits to you

For most patients, the surgical precision of the da Vinci® Surgical System allows the surgeons to achieve results with far less trauma to your body. That means that you can heal faster and return to your life much sooner.