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Surgical Advances in Robotic Partial Nephrectomies and Prostatectomies
SOURCE: OR-Live, Inc.
4:46PM, July 17, 2008
A traditional laparoscopic approach for procedures within the pelvis is difficult because of the confined space in which the surgeon must work, which makes complex reconstructions and knot-tying challenging. That is why the advent of the da Vinci robotic surgical system (Intuitive Surgical, Inc.), originally designed for beating-heart surgery, was quickly adopted by urologists. Today, robotic radical prostatectomy is more common than all other prostate surgeries combined.
The original da Vinci system was approved by the FDA in 2001; a second-generation system was introduced in 2006. The robot does not work autonomously; the device is a master-slave system that can only do what its surgeon-master tells it to do. The new da Vinci system includes high-definition optics and the capacity to manipulate 3 separate instruments, up from the original 2.
"The da Vinci system is a laparoscopic tool," explained Ketan K. Badani, MD, Director of Robotic Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. "Instead of using traditional laparoscopic instruments that have 4 degrees of freedom of motion, the robot-assisted instrumentation has all 7 degrees of freedom, just like your hand." Dr. Badani is an Assistant Professor of Urology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Ashutosh K. Tewari, MD, Director of the Robotic Prostatectomy Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, was equally enthusiastic about the use of robotics in urology, noting that he performs about 600 robotic prostatectomies each year. "In addition, my associates do partial nephrectomies and radical cystectomies," he added. "We have a team of people who are very accomplished in different aspects of robotic surgery." Dr. Tewari is the Ronald P. Lynch Associate Professor of Urologic Oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Physicians interested in learning the latest advances in urologic procedures should view this important webcast featuring Drs. Badani and Tewari, both of whom are leaders in the robotic approach to urologic disorders.
For additional information visit
www.or-live.com/NYP/2106/index.cfm?cmpid=marketwire
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