Robotic Surgery Program

Minimally Invasive Surgery

Robotic surgery is a type of laparoscopy that enables surgery to be performed through small incisions using special instruments and a three-dimensional camera. There is less pain, less blood loss, and a quicker recovery, when compared with traditional surgery through a large incision for women who are candidates for this type of surgery.

For women needing surgery in Southeastern New England, the option of treatment with robotically-assisted laparoscopy is available at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island.

The region’s premier center for gynecologic care, Women & Infants offers the most advanced technology available in the region for laparoscopic (minimally-invasive) surgery and the first robotics program focused exclusively on the unique needs of women throughout their lifetime.  

The hospital stands on the new frontier of minimally invasive surgery with the installation of a da Vinci® surgical system, the only robotic surgical technology for gynecologists approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Contact Information:

Surgical Services
101 Dudley Street
Providence, RI 02905
P: (800) 921-9299

No Show Policy
We have a policy for missed appointments at all Women & Infants' physician practices. If you need to reschedule or cancel an appointment, please give us at least 24 hours notice.

What is Robotic Surgery?

Robotic surgery is a very precise type of laparoscopy that is less invasive than traditional abdominal surgery. Robotic surgery is performed through a series of half-inch incisions on the patient’s abdomen. The surgeon controls the system which translates his or her hand movements into smaller, more precise movements of tiny instruments inside the patient.  

Though the system is called a “robot,” it cannot act on its own. The surgery is performed entirely by the doctor guiding the arms and the assistants.  

Women & Infants offers the surgery using the da Vinci® System, a remote-controlled technology named for a prototype created by artist/inventor Leonardo da Vinci. The technology has evolved greatly since da Vinci’s sketches of pulleys and ropes that could be manipulated by a human. 

Benefits of Robotic Surgery

Not every patient can safely have robotic surgery, but if you can, research has shown that the benefits of robotic surgery, compared with surgery through an abdominal incision, can include:

  • Shorter hospital stay
  • Shorter overall recovery time
  • Faster return to normal daily activities
  • Less blood loss
  • In many cases, better clinical outcomes
  • It also may make minimally-invasive surgery available to women who may not be candidates for traditional laparoscopic surgery because they are overweight or have adhesions from previous surgeries
The da Vinci® Surgical System features:
  • Unmatched precision
  • Greater visibility with the three-dimensional camera versus the two-dimensional camera used in traditional laparoscopy
  • Greater camera magnification for viewing intricate anatomy
  • Six degrees of freedom from each robotic arm, allowing the surgeon to access difficult to reach areas and operate in confined spaces in the body