Gynecologic Oncologist One of the
First in the Nation To Use the da Vinci® System
Against Reproductive Cancers
A cancer diagnosis is prone to set off a series of concerns
that race through a patient’s mind, including ‘how
will I be operated on?’ In more and more instances,
the answer to that question is ‘robotic surgery.’
At Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, gynecologic oncologist
Patrick Anderson, MD has emerged as one of the first surgeons
in the country to use the da Vinci S Surgical System on female
reproductive cancer cases.
Taking a leadership role in teaching peers, Dr. Anderson
recently proctored a televised demonstration of robotic surgery
for fellow gynecological oncologists during a one-day course
at Newark Beth Israel.
Dr. Anderson performed a uterine cancer surgery during the
daylong course at Newark Beth Israel, which is a member of
Barnabas Health.
Physicians at Newark Beth Israel currently perform robotic
surgery in more specialties than any other facility
in the nation. The Food and Drug Administration granted clearance
for use of the da Vinci Surgical System for use in gynecological
procedures in April 2005, opening the door for Dr. Anderson
to become one of the first surgeons to use this fledgling
technology.
“Already, I can say that using the da Vinci is equal
or better than using other forms of laparoscopic techniques,” says
Dr. Anderson, who has co-authored articles in such peer-reviewed
medical journals as Gynecological Oncolology and the Journal
of Women’s Health.
The da Vinci S robotic system used by surgeons at Newark
Beth Israel Medical Center consists of a surgeon’s
console, a patient side cart, a high performance 3-D vision
system and Endo Wrist articulating instruments.
In the operating room during robotic surgery, the surgeon
sits at the console with his hands on the master controls
and his eyes on a 3-D image of the surgical field. From
the patient-side cart, four robotic arms and one endoscope
arm precisely translate the surgeon’s movements through
small incisions in the patient.
“We are able to perform operations much more precisely,” Dr.
Anderson says. “The optics are so good, and the range
of motion of the wristed instruments is so vast, that you
are able to perform a more anatomically precise operation
not previously able to be done with other forms of minimally-invasive
surgery.”
With robotic surgery, the surgeon is able to operate through
several small incisions about the size of a dime. The benefits
of robotics over traditional surgical approaches include
shorter hospital stay; less pain; less risk of wound
infection; less blood loss and need for blood transfusions;
less scarring; faster recovery and quicker return to normal
activities.
A surgeon performing robotic assisted surgery is able
to perform the same complex and delicate procedures as the
traditional approach without compromising the outcome
or patient safety.
Additionally, the high rate of female reproductive cancers
suggests that the number of women who may turn to robotics
as a surgical option will continue to grow.
Robotic surgery is an effective surgical option for female
reproductive cancers when presented in their early stages.
This is good news when you consider that endometrial cancer,
which originates in the inner lining of the uterus,
is the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States,
with over 35,000 women being diagnosed annually. Also, cervical
cancer occurs in about 15,000 cases per year; and ovarian
cancer has about 25,000 incidences per year.
“Robotics allows us to perform these operations with
a higher level of quality,” Dr. Anderson said. “The
exciting thing is that this is a thing of the present – no
longer a wave of the future.”
Publication: Hospital Newspaper
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