ROLE OF ROBOTIC SURGERY IN ANDROLOGY

Robots To Cure Male Infertility
Recent studies have shown that Male Infertility is on the Rise due to decrease in average sperm count, as we are step into the 21 st century.
This can be attributed to genes, infections, life style changes, smoking, drug abuse, mental stress due to pressures at work, obesity, hypertension, and environmental and pesticide pollutants. This means more and more males will become infertile and will have to resort to medical, surgical and Assisted Reproductive Treatment to help their partners conceive

Over the past 30 years, the treatment of infertility has seen the development of revolutionary new assisted reproduction techniques like In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSCI)
These highly complex techniques are used with increasing frequency in the treatment of couples around the globe.
More than 1 million babies worldwide have been conceived by these new techniques giving immense satisfaction to infertile couples.
Both IVF and ICSCI involve conception in a Test Tube and hence bypass natural conception. There is therefore a risk of undesirable genetic traits being passed on to next generation.
IVF and ICSI are also advised in Males who have a poor sperm count and in whom medicine or surgery cannot help to improve the sperm count.
Recent technological advances have enabled the use of Robotics and Micro Surgical assisted techniques to improve sperm counts. This helps conception in a more natural form and avoids the use of IVF and ICSCI when the Male is responsible for the lack of conception in an infertile couple
The infertile males either have a low sperm count ( due to inadequate sperm production also known as Oligospermia) or have no sperms in the semen (Azoospermia) .

When Azoospermia is due to a block in the tubes (Epididymis, Vas Deferens, Ejaculatory Duct) transporting the sperm it can be cured surgically by advanced techniques called VasoVasostomy, VasoEpididymoAnastomosis or Seminovesiculoscopy. These surgeries are very delicate and time consuming as they involve operating on structures smaller than the heart vessels.

With advances in MicroSurgery and Robot Assisted MicroSurgery the chance of sperm (re) appearance rate can be as high as 80%.. Without the use of these techniques the chances of sperm (re)appearance is as low as 5 %.
Robotic vasectomy reversal
The advantage of microsurgical reconstruction is that once successful, natural conception is possible time and again without the mental agony of going through multiple IVF or ICSCI cycles apart from the huge recurring costs.
Multiple data from leading centers all over the world have proven the cost effectiveness of Microsurgical and Robotic Microsurgical reconstruction over the routine sperm retrieval for IVF and ICSI.


In oligospermia (Low Sperm Count) due to poor sperm production either due the enlarged veins surrounding the testes
( Varicocele), microsurgery allows a success rate of almost 60% (pregnancy rate).

In cases where the low sperm count is due to disease in the testes Microsurgical Sperm Retrieval (Micro-dissection TESE) techniques can find sperm in Testis.
In conclusion recent advances in Robotics and MicroSurgical Techniques have given new hope to an infertile male to conceive in a natural way.