From May 15 to 17, 2026, the Academic Seminar on Clinical Practices of Colorectal Surgery was held in Hangzhou. Dr. Ludovico Docimo, Professore Ordinario e Primario of the UOC of General, Minimally Invasive and Obesity Surgery at the University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" (Italy), shared his view that robotic surgery will transform colorectal operating rooms, much like laparoscopy did.l Learning from surgery’s past
Many procedures once seen as novel and dangerous — like laparoscopy — are now standard. In 1985, Dr. Muhe in Germany performed 100 laparoscopic cholecystectomies, but the global surgical community condemned it as hazardous. Forty years later, it is routine. Docimo believes the same will happen with robotic surgery, especially for colorectal procedures.
l Better outcomes, shorter stays
Current results already favor robotic surgery: shorter hospital stays and better radicality in colorectal cancer resection. These benefits are especially clear in obese patients. As evidence grows, robotic surgery will follow the same path as staplers and other once-skeptical innovations.
l History repeats itself
Docimo predicts most operations may eventually be performed robotically. Older surgeons remain skeptical, but progress moves fast. He does not know exactly what the future holds, but he is convinced that more and more colorectal procedures will be done with robotic assistance. “The history is every time the same,” he said.
