Robot-assisted surgery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Robotic surgery is an advanced technique that allows surgeons to perform complicated procedures through one or more very small incisions. A high-definition, 3D camera provides a magnified view of the surgical area and computer technology translates your surgeon's hand movements into precise motions of the instruments.

Surgeons at Portsmouth Regional Hospital use robotic surgery systems for a number of procedures for patients who qualify. Our Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery is the first of its kind in New Hampshire. If your surgeon recommends a robotic procedure, you can be confident that you are in the best possible hands.

Benefits of robotic surgery

The small incisions used in robotic surgery provide important benefits over traditional open surgery. These benefits include:

  • Less pain and less need for narcotic pain medicine after surgery
  • Less scarring
  • Fewer complications
  • Reduced risk of infection
  • Less blood loss
  • Shorter hospital stay
  • Faster recovery

Specialty areas that use robotic surgery

Specialists at Portsmouth Regional Hospital combine their surgical expertise with robotic surgery advancements to provide our patients with the best possible surgical experience and recovery. We use robotic technologies in the following areas:

  • Colorectal surgery, including the surgical treatment of colorectal cancer and other conditions related to the colon and rectum
  • General surgery, including surgeries of the stomach, liver, gallbladder, appendix and bile ducts
  • Gynecologic surgery, to treat conditions of the female reproductive system
  • Orthopedic surgery, such as knee and hip replacement procedures as well as other surgeries to treat arthritis and help you get back to your active lifestyle
  • Urologic surgery, to treat conditions of both the male and female urinary tract

Robotic surgery for joint replacement

Orthopedic surgeons use robotic surgery for both knee replacement and hip replacement procedures. Portsmouth Regional Hospital is one of the few hospitals in New Hampshire to offer this technique for total knee replacement.

One to two weeks prior to surgery, a radiologist will perform a computerized tomography (CT) scan of the knee or hip joint being operated on. The combination of the 3D model of the joint captured by the CT scan and robotic surgery technology allows our surgeons to further personalize each patient’s surgical plan based on their unique anatomy, providing the best possible result.