Gallbladder Surgery Uses Just One Small Incision - KTUL.com - Tulsa, Oklahoma - News, Weather & Sports

The future is now here when it comes to some common surgeries.

For example if you need to have your Gallbladder removed, at Hillcrest Medical Center, it can be done with a robot.

Doctors say the results are much better, than the operations of the past.

In recent years gallbladder surgery has been done with a manual laparoscopy, that requires 3 incision, in the stomach area.

But the newest system only requires one small cut, that is hidden in the navel.

It's performed with a robot, the doctor operates from a console like a video game.

The surgical instruments are inserted through the single location.

Then the gallbladder is removed by using 2 movable arms, that are observed with a camera.

Dr. Gene Dickens says its much easier on the physician and in most cases that means the surgery will also be easier on the patient.

Not too many years ago, a standard incision was used and the patient needed 6-weeks to recover.

Now they can be back to their normal lives, in just a few days.

Dr. Dickens says this process is a huge improvement, because the monitor provides a real 3-dimensional image of the surgical site.