Surgical Precision: The Impact of AI and Robotics in General Surgery
A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "General Surgery".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2026 | Viewed by 807
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The adoption of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is arguably the most important surgical development over the past four decades, allowing for rapid recovery from many procedures. Computer-assisted laparoscopy in the form of robotic platforms has gained traction more recently, and we are witnessing a surge in the number of general surgical procedures performed robotically. There are many perceived benefits of robotic platforms compared to both laparoscopy and open surgery. However, there is no clear consensus on whether this results in improved patient outcomes.
The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has opened new avenues for applying computers to improve healthcare. There has been a rapid increase in AI across other specialties, notably radiology, which has laid the path for applying computer science to surgery. There are three areas that we believe will make a significant impact in the future of surgery: training and credentialling surgeons with improved simulation and the analysis of movement metrics and surgical videos; creating patient-specific 3D images to aid pre-operative surgical planning; and developing intra-operative navigation tools which will display vital anatomical structures, assisting surgeons with dissection and resection.
This issue will explore the evidence to date, comparing robotic and open operations in general surgery and highlight the technological advances being made to support surgical training, decision making, and operations, possibly improving surgical patient journeys in the future.
The topics will include the following:
- What can we learn from randomised controlled trials in robotic general surgery specialties;
- Training and credentialling in robotic general surgery;
- Technological advances in pre-operative planning;
- Technological advances in intra-operative navigation.
Dr. Tamara M. H. Gall
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- robotic surgery
- artificial intelligence in surgery
- surgical training
- AR in surgery
- 3D imaging
- surgical navigation
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
