Head and Neck Surgery
When lifestyle changes, medication or other less invasive treatments do not help your condition, surgery is often recommended. If your doctor suggests surgery, learning about all surgical options can help you to make the best decision for your situation.
All surgeries carry risk, but traditional open surgery with a large incision has significant drawbacks – pain, trauma, a long recovery and risk of infection. Fortunately, less invasive surgical options are often available. The most common is conventional endoscopy. Your surgeon uses small incisions to insert long-shafted instruments to operate on the organ or tissue. Endoscopic surgery is effective for many routine procedures, but has limits when the procedure, patient’s anatomy, or condition is challenging or complex.
If you need surgery to treat your condition, you may be a candidate for minimally invasive da Vinci Surgery. Using the most advanced technology available today, the da Vinci Surgical System allows your doctor to perform delicate and complex operations through a few tiny incisions.
Procedures

Thanks to the latest evolution in technology, doctors have an alternative to traditional open and endoscopic surgery that offers patients the best of both approaches: da Vinci Surgery. With the assistance of the da Vinci® Surgical System, surgeons can operate through tiny incisions of 1-2 cm with greater vision, precision, dexterity and control than ever before.
Patient Information
The da Vinci® Surgical System provides patients with a minimally invasive treatment option for complex conditions such as throat cancer. For detailed information on da Vinci Surgery for head and neck disease, its potential benefits, and the da Vinci Surgical System, click here.
One of the best ways to truly understand a da Vinci Surgery experience is to hear from patients in their own words. At www.daVinciStories.com you can browse patient stories, watch patient videos or search for specific stories that may match your own. We hope this information is helpful as you make your decision about which treatment option is right for you.
Physician Information
For surgical staff looking for the most current information about da Vinci Surgery or interested in connecting with their peers, we welcome you to visit and join the da Vinci Surgery Online Community.
This is a private community designed for those who are already part of da Vinci Surgery programs. Social networking is facilitated through the ability to start conversations around specific topics and post images and video clips that facilitate meaningful discussions.
Who is this for?
- Surgeons using the da Vinci Surgical System, for all specialties
- da Vinci Coordinators providing OR support for da Vinci Programs
- Support staff, office managers and marketers at practices and hospitals working to promote da Vinci Surgery
Features & Benefits:
- Access advanced clinical research tools, including the world’s largest collection of da Vinci Surgery abstracts
- Watch, upload and discuss member-posted videos
- Download educational materials from the da Vinci clinical library
- Engage in interactive discussions around specific MIS topics with colleagues
- Network with your peers from around the world
- Access resources, tools and templates to market your program
To become a member, go to daVinciSurgeryCommunity.com and sign up.
Clinical Validation
To date, roughly 3,000 peer-reviewed studies have been published demonstrating the clinical efficacy of da Vinci Surgery and its applications. The following selected publications support the clinical efficacy of da Vinci Surgery.
Please note: While Medline provides some links to publishers' sites offering PDFs/full text articles, downloads typically require a fee. You may also contact academic libraries (for example, University of California) for document delivery services.
PN 874173 Rev B 10/11






