da Vinci Surgery
People can have surgery aided by sophisticated technology to reduce pain and trauma, complications, blood loss and need for transfusions, scarring and hospital stays, leading to quicker total recovery times.
Advanced Robotic Surgery
The da Vinci® Surgical System is a robotic surgical system manufactured by Intuitive Surgical and is designed for complex surgeries, but allows for keyhole-sized incisions. Fundamentally, the da Vinci system compares with forms of laparoscopic surgery in that it uses minimal incisions, video monitors and remotely controlled surgical tools. Furthermore, the da Vinci system employs three-dimensional, high-definition imaging and more precise surgical instruments.
This sophisticated technology offers patients reduced pain and trauma, fewer complications, reduced blood loss and need for transfusions, less scarring, shorter hospital stays and quicker total recovery times. Surgeons, meanwhile, benefit from a greater range of motion, increased operational precision and improved versatility.
Despite the innovations, the da Vinci system does not replace the surgeon, but enhances the surgeon’s skills. The system assists the surgeon, who sits at a console and views the procedure through an optically enhanced eyepiece and endoscope. The surgeon controls the system’s robotic arms, which can bend back and forth, pivot from side-to-side or rotate in full circle, to manipulate the precision surgical tools.
Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center performed its first surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System in November 2007, making it one of the first hospitals in Georgia to employ this state-of-the-art technology. Today, our surgeons use 17 state-of-the-art da Vinci robotic surgical systems to care for patients at several of our hospitals and two outpatient surgery centers for a variety of procedures including gynecologic, urologic and cardiac surgeries.
Procedures
Preparations and procedures for surgeries performed with the da Vinci® Surgical System remain similar to those for traditional open surgeries or laparoscopic operations.
For a procedure completed with the da Vinci system, the surgeon will be seated at a console and will view the operation through a sophisticated eyepiece and endoscope. Other procedures, such as anesthesia, will be performed in a traditional fashion. Because a patient will undergo the surgery under general anesthesia, they will not be aware of the process.
The da Vinci Surgical System can be used in a number of procedures to treat a range of conditions, including:
- Cancer: If your doctor recommends surgery for cancer, you may be a candidate for the minimally-invasive da Vinci Surgical System. Da Vinci uses state-of-the-art technology to help your doctor perform a precise operation through a few tiny incisions with enhanced vision, precision, dexterity and control. Da Vinci surgery offers several potential benefits over traditional open surgery, including significantly less pain, less blood loss, less occurrence of major complications and a shorter hospital state. The da Vinci Surgical System has been used to treat bladder, colorectal, prostate, thyroid, prostate and gynecologic cancers.
- Coronary artery disease: If you have been told you need coronary artery bypass surgery, ask your doctor about da Vinci surgery for coronary artery disease. This surgery is performed without the need for a heart-lung machine and minimally invasively—through small incisions made between the ribs. This avoids the need for a sternotomy, its associated risks and complications. During a sternotomy, surgeons make an 8 to 10-inch incision, cut through the breastbone and spread of the ribs, to access the chest cavity and heart.
- Kidney disorders: If your doctor recommends surgery for urinary obstruction, you may be a candidate for da Vinci Surgery. Da Vinci Surgery uses state-of-the-art technology to help your doctor perform this delicate operation. It offers several potential benefits over traditional open and laparoscopic surgery, including a shorter operation, less blood loss and pain and a shorter hospital stay. Da Vinci Surgery incorporates the best techniques of open and laparoscopic surgery and applies them to a robotic-assisted, minimally invasive approach for treatment of non-cancerous kidney disorders like ureteral blockage.
- Endometriosis, heavy uterine bleeding: Surgery can be used to remove implants of endometrial tissue or for the removal of the reproductive organs. Da Vinci offers a new, minimally invasive approach to hysterectomy, combining the advantages of conventional open and minimally invasive hysterectomies—but with potentially fewer drawbacks. For patients, the benefits of da Vinci hysterectomy may include significantly less pain, minimal blood loss and need for transfusion, shorter hospital stays and quicker recoveries, allowing them to return to normal activities.
Although the da Vinci surgery is less invasive with smaller incisions and results in improved recovery results and shorter times, Wellstar recommends that patients adhere closely to their recovery plans and stresses the need for them to rest for a few weeks after the surgery.
Robotic Surgery
The da Vinci surgical system uses robotic-assisted technology to enable surgeons at Augusta University Health, in Augusta, Georgia, to perform complex procedures with a minimally invasive approach.
706-721-2273
[email protected]
Robotic Surgery
Augusta University Health offers robotic surgeries, in a range of specialties, all in one location - at our Center for Advanced Robotic Surgery - making it easy for patients in Georgia, South Carolina and the Southeast to access the best in surgical care.
Why Choose Us
When you come to AU Health, you can have confidence knowing your robotic procedure is being performed by the largest, most experienced team of specialized surgeons in the area. We offer:
- A high-volume surgery center: Studies show improved outcomes for patients who are treated at high-volume centers with experienced surgeons.
- Progressive surgeons: We have physicians who helped pioneer robotic surgical techniques. We also provide the area's only robotic simulation module that allows surgeons to fine-tune their surgical skills.
- Advanced procedures: We perform advanced procedures not available at other area facilities. These include removing the bladder for bladder cancer, salvage prostatectomy when prostate cancer recurs after radiation therapy, and the "facelift" thyroidectomy which eliminates neck scarring.
- Imaging technology: Our hospital is the only one in the area that uses Firefly Fluorescence Imaging Technology. Firefly allows our surgeons to distinguish normal tissue from cancerous, operating with greater precision, helping avoid the possibility of having future surgeries.
- Multidisciplinary care: As a patient at Augusta University Health, you have access to the largest team of specialists, all on one campus.
Academic Advantage
As a patient in an academic health center, you get the highest standard of care because you are being treated by surgeons with the expertise to train the next generation of surgeons. Our surgeons attend national and international conferences, continuously learning about the newest technology and the latest standards of care.
What is Robotic Surgery
Robotic surgery is fast becoming the standard of care for many specialties. AU Health uses the da Vinci surgical system, robotic technology that equips surgeons with enhanced vision, more range of motion, and greater accuracy, which is especially important when it comes to operating on cancers and delicate areas of the body.
The da Vinci surgical system is made up of precision tools designed for complex and delicate surgeries, it includes:
- a patient side cart
- a surgeon's console
- an advanced vision system with a high-resolution 3-D endoscopic camera
- Robotic EndoWrist instruments, with flexible joints to enhance the natural range of motion of the human hand, reduce tremors, and scale motions to refine the surgeon's movements.
What Happens During Robotic Surgery
The surgeon takes a seat at the surgeon's console. Using the advanced vision system, the surgeon sees a clear, detailed picture of the surgical field while sitting upright and comfortable, reducing fatigue.
The surgeon inserts the robotic instruments and endoscope, or small camera, inside the patient's body through a series of small incisions.
From the console, the surgeon maneuvers the robotic arms that hold the instruments and endoscope. The system seamlessly translates the surgeon's hand, wrist and finger movements into precise real-time movements of the surgical instruments.
Patients generally stay one night in the hospital and return to normal activities much more quickly than after traditional surgeries.
Benefits of da Vinci Robotic Surgery
The system provides surgeons with the range of motion, fine tissue manipulation capability and 3-D visualization characteristic of open surgery, yet allows them to work through tiny incisions used in minimally invasive surgeries.
Benefits to patients include:
- less pain
- less blood loss
- less scarring
- shorter recoveries
- faster return to normal daily activities
- in many cases, better clinical outcomes
Learn more about the da Vinci surgical system
Procedures We Offer
Procedures performed at AU Health, using the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System, include:
Gynecology and Urogynecology | |
---|---|
Hysterectomy |
A robotic hysterectomy can be done if you suffer from:
Simple hysterectomyDuring a simple procedure, the surgeon inserts tiny instruments and a camera through small incisions in the abdomen and removes the uterus through the vagina. A bilateral salpingo oophorectomy may also be performed at that time to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Radical HysterectomyIn the case of radical hysterectomy, the uterus, surrounding tissue, cervix and top part of the vagina are also removed. These types of hysterectomies are usually performed to treat gynecological cancers. |
Myomectomy |
Surgery to treat uterine fibroids, you may be a candidate for a new procedure called da Vinci Myomectomy. |
Sacrocolpopexy |
Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when an organ in the pelvis, or the top portion of the vagina known as the vaginal vault, drops and protrudes through the vagina. This condition may cause embarrassing urinary incontinence, vaginal ulceration, sexual dysfunction and problems with bowel movements. If you have this condition, you may be a candidate. This procedure uses mesh to hold the vaginal vault in the correct anatomical position. BenefitsRobotic technology lets trained surgeons perform the robotic procedure through a series of small incisions. Our medical staff includes a board certified urogynecologist who has performed more of these surgeries than any other physician in the Augusta area. |
Burch procedure |
If you suffer from stress incontinence-or urinary leakage due to stress on the urinary tract-you know how embarrassing and disruptive that can be. But you may be a candidate for a minimally invasive procedure known as a robotic urethropexy, also known as Burch procedure. The is performed by highly trained urogynecologists and uses no mesh slings or foreign objects to support the urethra. |
Gynecologic Cancer | |
---|---|
Salpingo-oophorectomy (ovary and fallopian tube removal) |
The surgical removal of one or more of the ovaries and fallopian tubes can be used to treat a range of gynecologic conditions, including benign or malignant ovarian masses and endometrial cancer. A robotic Salpingo-oophorectomy can also be used to reduce the risk of patients at high risk of endometrial or ovarian/fallopian tube cancer. If needed, a frozen section of the tissue will be sent to a pathologist while the patient is under anesthesia to determine if a mass is benign or malignant and to help with staging. The surgeon inserts small instruments and a camera through keyhole incisions in the abdomen. He or she detaches the ovaries and fallopian tubes and removes them from the body. If only one ovary and fallopian tube are diseased, the other will be left intact, preserving the patient's ability to become pregnant. In other cases, however, both ovaries and fallopian tubes are removed in a bilateral surgery. |
Exploratory laparotomy / Staging ovarian cancer |
The robotic exploratory laparotomy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that can be used for diagnosing and staging early ovarian cancer. In patients who have already been diagnosed with an early ovarian cancer, the procedure can also be used for completing a staging procedure. The surgeon inserts small instruments and a camera through keyhole incisions in the abdomen and removes a tissue sample for a pathologist to examine. If cancer is present, the surgeon removes the cancerous tissue. The procedure also lets the surgeon look within the abdomen to see if the cancer has spread to other organs. |
Syed Implants |
Our gyn cancer treatment team also uses innovative radiation therapies to target gynecologic cancer cells, while sparing healthy tissues and organs. One such therapy is robotic Syed implants, a procedure that is performed by a gyn oncologist working with a radiation oncologist. Using tiny instruments and a camera inserted into the abdomen through keyhole incisions, the gyn-oncologist inserts a temporary mesh sling into the abdomen and lifts the organs and tissue that do not need to be radiated. A radiation oncologist then carefully inserts catheters through which tiny radiation seeds are positioned near the tumor. The seeds deliver high doses of radiation to the tumor, while minimizing exposure to healthy tissue. |
Head and Neck | |
---|---|
Transoral robotic surgery |
Traditional surgery for tumors of the mouth and throat require a large incision so the surgeon's hands can fit inside the patient's throat and oral cavity. But skilled otolaryngologists at Augusta University Medical Center offer a much less invasive solution that does not require an incision. The robotic arms and camera of the surgical system are positioned in the oral cavity, allowing the surgical movement to take place within the oral cavity. The surgeon then has a close-up high definition view of the mouth and throat area as they guides the robotic instruments. |
Facelift thyroidectomy |
Avoid neck scars with robotic facelift thyroidectomy. The procedure was pioneered by David Terris, MD, a surgeon who serves as the co-director of Augusta University's Thyroid/Parathyroid Center. We are a referral center for patients throughout Georgia, South Carolina, the Southeast and beyond. |
Urology/urologic oncology |
|
---|---|
Adrenalectomy |
If you have tumors of the adrenal glands, you may be a candidate for a minimally invasive robotic adrenalectomy, or removal of the affected glands. |
Radical cystectomy |
If you have muscle-invasive or aggressive bladder cancer, you may be a candidate for a type of minimally invasive surgery known as radical cystectomy, or the surgical removal of the entire bladder plus the regional lymph nodes. |
Prostatectomy |
The Robotic Surgical System allows surgeons to see vital anatomical structures more clearly and perform more precise procedures. This is important for prostate surgery because the prostate gland is tightly confined and surrounded by nerves that affect urinary control and sexual function. By sparing surrounding nerves, robotic surgery may enhance both your recovery and clinical outcome. |
Salvage prostatectomy |
A percentage of men who have radiation therapy to treat prostate cancer may experience a recurrence of cancer. If the cancer is limited to the prostate, he may be a candidate for a minimally invasive surgery known as robotic salvage prostatectomy, only a few physicians in the nation perform this procedure, AU Health has Dr. Rabii Madi, MD, who can perform this procedure. |
Ureterolysis with omental wrap |
Retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) is an autoimmune disease that can cause scar tissue to grow around the ureter, blocking the flow of urine and causing it to back up into the kidneys. Fortunately, these blockages can often be removed through a minimally invasive procedure known as robotic ureterolysis with omental wrap. During the procedure, the surgeon inserts small instruments and a camera through keyhole incisions in the abdomen and carefully cuts through the scar tissue to release the ureter. The surgeon then takes a part of the omentum, or layer of fat that overlies the bowels, and wraps it around the ureter. This wrap increases blood flow to the ureter and forms a protective layer to protect the ureter from new scar tissue. |
Pyeloplasty |
In a healthy urinary tract, urine drains from the kidney into the ureter and down into the bladder. But blockages can occur in the uretero pelvic junction (UPJ), where the kidney meets the ureter. These blockages can often be removed robotically through a small incisions. The urinary tract is then reconstructed to repair any damage caused by the buildup in fluid pressure and prevent recurrent obstructions. Kidney stones may also be removed, and a stent is placed to help with healing. The stent is removed several weeks later in a physician's office. |
Nephroureterectomy |
Transitional cell cancer (TCC) of the upper urinary tract is a cancerous growth in the lining of the urinary tract that can occur in the kidney, ureter or bladder. If you have this condition, you may be a candidate for a type of minimally invasive surgery known as robotic nephroureterectomy, or the surgical removal of the kidney and ureter. |
Nephrectomy |
If you have kidney cancer or benign kidney tumors, you may be a candidate for a type of minimally invasive surgery known as robotic partial or radical nephrectomy, or the surgical removal of all or part of one or both kidneys. During this procedure, the surgeon fills the patient's abdomen with gas, inserts small instruments and a camera through key hole incisions in the abdomen and removes the tumor or entire kidney through one of the incisions. |