A Robotic Touch to Gynecological Surgery

What is robotic surgery?  Is a robot performing my surgery?

Absolutely not, just as a car is a tool you control to travel more efficiently.  The highly trained surgeons at Northern Westchester Hospital are in full control of the daVinci robot, using its precision instruments to make for a much less invasive surgical experience.

Advances in minimally invasive technologies and surgical techniques—such as robot-assisted surgery—have changed the way many gynecologic problems are treated today. The da Vinci robots at Northern Westchester Hospital are the most sophisticated and precise surgical tools used by surgeons today.

Robot-assisted surgery enhances the skills of the most highly experienced New York robotic surgeon through:

·         Improved stability

·         Increased range of motion

·         Greater precision in handling and preserving tissue

Through minimally invasive and robot-assisted surgery, patients benefit from:

·         smaller incisions and reduced scarring

·         less pain (1)

·         a lower risk of infection,  (2)

·         decreased blood loss (3,4)

·         faster recovery times (5)

For instance, patients at Northern Westchester Hospital who have undergone minimally invasive hysterectomies are now going home the day of or the day after surgery and generally go back to work within one to two weeks.

 Minimally invasive and robotic gynecologic surgeries are most frequently conducted to treat:

·         Hysterectomy/ Radical Hysterectomy

·         Myomectomy (removal of uterine fibroids—non-malignant tumors in the uterus)

·         Excessive Menstrual Bleeding

·         Endometriosis / Adenomyosis

·         Uterine Prolapse

·         Endometrial cancers

·         Ovarian Cystectomy

·         Abdominal Cerclage

Northern Westchester Hospital provides a number of videos illustrating how the daVinci Robot Works.  You can find stories by women who underwent gynecological robot-assisted surgery at NWH in Mt. Kisco, NY, as well as information about a robot assisted hysterectomy.  You can review FAQ about robotic surgery, and find a gynecologic surgeon who performs robotic surgery.

NWH has been ranked as one of the best hospitals in New York for 2013-2014 by U.S. News & World Report with special recognition in Gynecology as well as four other specialties. 

Sources

1) Ko EM, Muto MG, Berkowitz RS, Feltmate CM.Robotic versus open radical hysterectomy:
a comparative study at a single institution. Gynecol Oncol. 2008 Dec;111(3):425-30. Epub 2008 Oct 16.

2) Boggess JF, Gehrig PA, Cantrell L, Shafer A, Ridgway M, Skinner EN, Fowler WC. A comparative study of 3 surgical methods for hysterectomy with staging for endometrial cancer: robotic assistance, laparoscopy, 

3) DeNardis SA, Holloway RW, Bigsby GE, Pikaart DP, Ahmad S, and Finkler NJ. Robotically assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy versus total abdominal hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy for endometrial cancer. Gynecologic Oncology 2008;111:412-417.

4) Payne, T. N. and F. R. Dauterive. A comparison of total laparoscopic hysterectomy to robotically assisted hysterectomy: surgical outcomes in a community practice. J Minim Invasive Gynecol, 2008;15(3): 286-291.

5) Bell MC, Torgerson J, Seshadri-Kreaden U, Suttle AW, Hunt S. Comparison of outcomes and cost for endometrial cancer staging via traditional laparotomy, standard laparoscopy and robotic techniques. Gynecol Oncol. 2008 Dec;111(3):407-11. Epub 2008 Oct 1.