Merna Volenec, of Sun Prairie, Wis., holds 8-mm robotic surgical instruments. Along with a high-definition camera, the instruments allow doctors to perform surgery through incisions about an inch long. |
da Vinci robot surgery coming to SSM DePaul Health, Bridgeton, Mo.
Robotic knee surgery at Bone and Joint Hospital at St. Anthony in Oklahoma City. Free "lunch and learn" January 26, 2010 about robotic knee surgery.
MADISON, Wis. - When cancer showed up in Merna Volenec’s kidney earlier this year, she was faced with two choices: traditional surgery to remove the entire organ, followed by a time-zapping, life-inhibiting dialysis routine in which machines do the blood-cleansing job of kidneys OR robot-assisted surgery to remove only the affected portion of the kidney, allowing her own organs to continue to do their work naturally.
For Volenec, the decision was easy. She chose the art of living through the advanced science of surgery with the da Vinci robot at St. Mary’s Hospital.
“If I’d had the traditional surgery, I’d be doing dialysis in four-hour sessions three times a week,” she said. "I’m thankful to still have my freedom for travel and for living my life.”
The da Vinci surgical system is breakthrough technology that requires very small incisions through which a high-definition camera and tiny surgical instruments enter the body. The surgeon, seated nearby at a console, views the magnified image of the surgical site and uses the robot to maneuver 8- millimeter instruments with precision. Patients generally experience less pain, fewer medications, shorter hospital stays, faster recovery and smaller scars.
"I’ve had lots of other surgeries," said Volenec, who experienced discomfort for just 12 hours after the procedure. "Compared to those, this was a walk in the park."
St. Mary’s Hospital has performed robot-assisted surgery for nearly two years, offering it at first for only prostate removal. Surgeons now use the robot to treat a wide range of medical issues, from hysterectomies to removal of malfunctioning glands.
Sometimes the only surgical solutions are complex - which makes surgeons and patients alike reluctant to try them. One of these is sacrocolpopexy, a surgical correction of fallen organs in the pelvis. Referred to as organ prolapse, this condition often presents a bulging and pressure sensation in women. Further, it can result in a great deal of distress.
The traditional surgical treatment involves a wide cut in the abdominal wall, which is usually associated with increased pain, greater risk and longer recovery time. Instead of disrupting their lives to correct the problem, patients either select less invasive procedures that may bring other complications and may not be as successful, or they learn to live with it.
“With the robot, we can now treat organ prolapse with a micro-invasive approach – the robotic sacrocolpopexy,” said obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Bruce Drummond. “It provides the highest success rates and avoids the issues associated with a large incision.”
The robot-assisted procedure mimics the more invasive abdominal surgery, he explains, but patients experience much less pain and blood loss and they get back to living their lives sooner. “The results are very similar to the abdominal surgery, yielding long-term success with very few complications," Dr. Drummond said. "It’s gratifying to offer a better procedure and new option for women.”
