Robotic surgery can be used to treat cancers and tumors of the colon and rectum, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticular disease, hernias, and other abdominal conditions. .

In the past, surgeons made large incisions in skin and muscle so that they could directly see and work on the area of concern. This is called open surgery. Today doctors still perform open surgery, but can also perform many colorectal procedures using minimally invasive laparoscopic or robotic-assisted surgery..

Both minimally invasive surgical options require a few small incisions that doctors use to insert surgical equipment and a camera for viewing. In laparoscopic surgery, doctors use special long-handled tools to perform surgery while viewing magnified images from the laparoscope (camera) on a video screen.

Dr. Dattani is specially trained in robotic colorectal surgery and is one of the few in the state of Idaho with this skill. He strives to perform surgery through small incisions, and aims for fast recovery after surgery, with minimally invasive surgery utilizing the robotic platform, patients recovery faster, have shorter lengths of stay in hospital and use less pain medications if any during post-operative recovery.

Da Vinci surgical systems are comprised of three components: surgeon console, patient-side cart, and vision cart.