Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2016
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Deferred tax benefit	$ 4,700,000
Effective tax rate	4.30%	0.00%
Unrecognized tax benefits	$ 0
Scenario, Forecast [Member]
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Estimated annual effective tax rate			5.10%
TransEnterix Italia [Member]
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Adjustment to deferred tax liability	$ 1,700,000