I belive robotic assisted surgery will be the i thing in future.We have very little knowlegde regarding advanced surgical techniques. It is very kind of you to have raised the important debate.

Not only individual doctors but even patients may also be benifitted by the contribution of experts all over the world.

eagerly awaiting your inputs sir.

Dear Sorayouth

Surgical navigation systems allow the surgeon to perform surgical actions in real time using information conveyed through a virtual world, which consist of computer-generated models of surgical instruments and the virtual representations of the anatomy being operated on. Virtual representations can be generated from data obtained through Computer Tomography scans, Fluoroscopy, or Image-free navigation.

The concept of surgical navigation system is similar to a real time GPS vehicle tracking system in which the location and movement of the vehicle is constantly displayed on a map.

Robotic surgery is widely accepted by the orthopedics community for two reasons. First, the technology is well-suited to operations on bones. Since bones, unlike soft-tissues, are less-prone to deformation when being pressed on, computer navigation and mapping of bones, which use software based on the rigid-body assumption, are accurate and efficient. Furthermore, robotic surgery increases the accuracy of implantation and component placement in Total Hip Arthroplasty and Total Knee Arthroplasty. Current surgical techniques often result in inaccurate placing and balancing of hip replacements, knee components, or soft-tissues. With computer navigation system and robotics assisted surgery, precision and accuracy is greatly improved; this in turn leads to better long-term outcomes

1. Robotics For Surgery Annu. Rev. Biomed. Eng. 1999

211-240, Robert D. Howe and Yoky Matsuoka

2. Computer-Assisted Navigation Increases Precision of Component Placement in Total Knee Anthroplasty by Haaker, Stockheim, Kamp, et el

The two systems are completely different. The robotic assisted is only a mixed method to perform a surgical procedure, supported by robotic instruments during some part of the operations. While navigation systems were developed to enhance surgical orientation on tridimentional anatomy. They were first applied on neurosurgery but they are gaining more interests also in orthopedy and otorinolaringoiatry and from a couple of years also in general surgery for soft tissue surgery. Even if the real navigation systems are to date, in soft tissue surgery something to be considered experimental.

Robotic surgery, computer-assisted surgery, are terms for technological developments that use robotic systems to aid in surgical procedures. In computer-assisted surgery, the actual intervention is defined as surgical navigation. Using the surgical navigation system the surgeon will use special instruments, which are connected to the navigation system to touch an anatomical position on the patient. This position is simultaneously shown in the images taken from this patient. The surgeon can thus use the instrument to 'navigate' the images of the patient by moving the instrument.

"Wikipedia"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-assisted_surgery