Robotic-assisted anti-reflux surgery
Laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery is the most recent treatment advancement for GERD. When medications are not successful, Laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery is a minimally-invasive procedure that corrects gastroesophageal reflux by creating an improved valve mechanism at the bottom of the esophagus. Nonetheless, the laparoscopic approach has well-known disadvantages and limitations. For that reason, surgeons at the University of Illinois Medical Center, in an effort to eliminate some of the impediments of laparoscopic surgery, have adopted robotic-assistance as a suitable alternative. Robotics has provided new technology, which allows laparoscopic surgeons to perform these advanced procedures with more accuracy, finer detail, and with less difficulty.
Robotic-assisted Heller myotomy for esophageal achalasia
Achalasia is a disorder of the esophagus characterized by a progressive inability to swallow solids and liquids. Surgical treatment has become the treatment of choice and offers long-term symptomatic relief to those who have the disorder. This surgical procedure (Heller myotomy) destroys the muscles at the gastroesophageal junction, allowing the valve between the esophagus and stomach to remain open. Laparoscopic surgery is less invasive, reduces the pain and postoperative recovery time, and is correlated with shorter hospitalization. In 2000, with the advent of robotics, surgeons switched from the conventional laparoscopic approach to the robotically-assisted Heller myotomy. The robotic system is ideally suited for advanced esophageal surgery, and has shown to be as effective as laparoscopic surgery with fewer complications.
Robotic-assisted Total esophaguectomy
Esophagectomy (removal of all or part of the esophagus) is the treatment of choice for esophageal cancer either as a therapy for the cancer itself or as a way to relieve symptoms, especially difficulty swallowing. Surgery for esophageal cancer is technically demanding operation and carries risks. Traditional (open) surgery involves an incision in the abdomen (laparotomy) and an incision on the side of the chest spreading the ribs (thoracotomy). Increasing experience with laparoscopic procedures has lead to its use in the dissection of the esophagus for total esophagectomy. Surgeons at UIC have extended the applications of the robotic system for the treatment of esophageal cancer in selected patients decreasing blood loss, postoperative pain, hospital stay and mortality. View a video of this procedure.
Robotic-assisted Prostatectomy
Robotic-assistance offers a number of potential benefits over open-abdominal surgery such as a shorter hospital stay, a reduction in pain and scarring, a lower risk of infection, decreased blood loss, a faster recovery time, and ultimately a quicker return to normal activities. Surgeons at the University of Illinois Medical Center use this state-of-the-art surgical system which was designed to help surgeons see vital anatomical structures more clearly and to perform a more precise operation. The benefit to the patient is that it expands the capabilities of surgeons to view the operating field three dimensionally and to precisely and naturally move the instruments during surgery thus providing improved patient outcomes. |
Robotic-assisted living donor nephrectomy
This is an operation to remove a kidney from a person who wishes to donate a kidney to a relative or friend who is suffering from kidney failure. Until recently, kidney donation from a living-donor could only be accomplished through a surgical procedure called open nephrectomy (kidney removal). This procedure requires a large abdominal incision and a relatively longer hospital stay and recovery period. However, laparoscopic surgery represents the "gold standard” today for the treatment of many pathologies and is a well-established alternative approach to traditional open procedures for living-donor nephrectomy. Robotic technology has emerged as a promising alternative to laparoscopic techniques. Medical Center physicians performed the world’s first robotic-assisted removal of a kidney from a living-donor. In this case, a father donated the organ to his 18-month-old daughter. Today, more than 300 robotic-assisted living-donor nephrectomies have been performed at the Medical Center. View a video of this procedure.
Robotic-assisted gastric bypass
Gastric Bypass surgery reduces the size of the stomach by re-routing part of the small intestine thus limiting the amount of food that a patient is physically able to consume. The laparoscopic surgical technique is less invasive than traditional “open” surgery – the work is done through a series of small incisions that heal faster than traditional surgical incisions. Surgeons at the Medical Center have been using robotic technology since the 200, to successfully perform robotically-assisted gastric bypass surgery. Using the da Vinci™ Surgical System, we are able to provide all of the benefits of minimally-invasive surgery, including a shorter hospital stay, a reduction in pain and a quicker return to normal activities. This is due in large part to the system’s ability to offer the surgeon increased visibility – three-dimensional instead of two-dimensional – as well as improved precision over the course of lengthy surgical procedures which have led to improved outcomes for our patients. View a video of this procedure.
Robotic-assisted adrenalectomy
The adrenal gland can develop benign or malignant tumors that will require the removal of the affected organ. One adrenal gland is adequate for normal function. If both glands are removed, the patient must take small doses of steroids. Laparoscopic surgery has proved to be a major advancement for the management of adrenal tumors. It can offer numerous potential benefits over open-abdominal surgery, including shorter hospital stay, less pain and scarring, less risk of infection, less blood loss, faster recovery, and quicker return to normal activities. Robotic adrenalectomy refers to the minimally invasive removal of the adrenal gland through a small incision in the abdomen using the da Vinci surgical system. Surgeons at UIC use this state-of-the-art surgical system designed to help your surgeon see vital anatomical structures more clearly and to perform a more precise operation. The benefit to the patient is that it expands the capabilities of surgeons to view the operating field in three dimensions and precisely and naturally move the instruments.
Robotic-assisted Hysterectomy
Hysterectomy refers to the surgical removal of the uterus. Hysterectomies may consist of total (removal of the body and the cervix of the uterus) or partial, or supra-cervical, removal. Annually, more than 600,000 hysterectomies are performed in the United States. Approximately 65% of these surgeries are still performed using abdominal incisions due to difficulties with conventional laparoscopic hysterectomy. Robotic-assisted Hysterectomy is a promising new alternative to conventional laparoscopic hysterectomy. With the Robot, the magnification is improved, the images are 3 dimensional and the dexterity is excellent. Complex procedures during a hysterectomy, such as securing the uterine vessels, performing an accurate culdotomy and over sewing the vaginal cuff, are facilitated by the Robot, providing unique advantages over conventional surgery and improved patient outcomes post-procedure. |
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