There are vast land and lots of people in western China, but the economy developing is relatively slow. However, the minimally invasive surgery was carried out firstly in China. Moreover, the type, number and difficulty of the minimally invasive surgery increased year by year. Especially, in the western area of China, Dr Zhou Zongguang, Yu Peiwu and Zheng Shuguo et al. have performed much pioneering work in laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer, gastric cancer and laparoscopic liver resection. They led the standard development of minimally invasive in China. In the future, western China should continue to strengthen the standardized training of minimally invasive surgery, make great effort to carry out evidence-based research of minimally invasive surgery, provide evidences of high level of clinical application in minimally invasive surgery. At the same time, we should carry out the robotic and 3D laparoscopic surgery actively, leading the development of minimally invasive surgery more standardized and more widespread in western China.
China ; Digestive System Surgical Procedures ; methods ; trends ; Evidence-Based Medicine ; Hepatectomy ; methods ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; methods ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; education ; methods ; standards ; trends ; Rectal Neoplasms ; surgery ; Robotic Surgical Procedures ; Stomach Neoplasms ; surgery

The da Vinci S surgical system (Intuitive Surgical) was approved as a medical device in 2009 by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Robotic surgery has since been used in gastrointestinal, thoracic, gynecological, and urological surgeries. In April 2012, robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) was first approved for insurance coverage. Since then, RALP has been increasingly used, with more than 3,000 RALP procedures performed by March 2013. By July 2014, 183 institutions in Japan had installed the da Vinci surgical system. Other types of robotic surgeries are not widespread because they are not covered by public health insurance. Clinical trials using robotic partial nephrectomy and robotic gastrectomy for renal and gastric cancers, respectively, have recently begun as advanced medical treatments to evaluate health insurance coverage. These procedures must be evaluated for efficacy and safety before being covered by public health insurance. Other types of robotic surgery are being evaluated in clinical studies. There are several challenges in robotic surgery, including accreditation, training, efficacy, and cost. The largest issue is the cost-benefit balance. In this review, the current situation and a prospective view of robotic surgery in Japan are discussed.
Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Esophageal Neoplasms/surgery ; Gastrectomy/*methods ; Gynecologic Surgical Procedures/methods ; Humans ; Japan ; Laparoscopy/*methods ; Nephrectomy/*methods ; Otolaryngology/methods ; Prospective Studies ; Prostatectomy/*methods ; Rectal Neoplasms/surgery ; Robotic Surgical Procedures/education/*trends ; Stomach Neoplasms/surgery ; Thymectomy/methods ; Thyroid Diseases/surgery