Laparoscopy with or without robotic assistance for benign, deeply infiltrating, or malignant disease pose several challenges to minimally invasive gynecologic surgeons. To perform safe and effective surgery, the surgeon should have precise knowledge of anatomical structures and retroperitoneal spaces. As the captain of the patient’s surgical journey, the surgeon should have the knowledge and skills to navigate through the calm or rough conditions in the pelvis and abdomen and travel through spaces and around visceral and vascular structures. In extremely challenging and innovative cases, thorough anatomical knowledge will guide some surgeons to go where few surgeons have gone before to arrive at a successful surgical destination.

1) Recognize anatomical landmarks, retroperitoneal spaces, and pelvic visceral and vascular structures pertinent to laparoscopic and robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery to perform basic, intermediate, or advanced procedures.

2) To understand minimally invasive surgical techniques to enter and expose pelvic avascular spaces, parametrial ligaments, pelvic vessels and nerves and their anatomical relationships to the ureter and other retroperitoneal structures.

3) To demonstrate challenging cases and skillful steps in managing deep infiltrating endometriosis, radical hysterectomy, and uterine transplantation.