Robotic-Assisted Surgery

Using the newest da Vinci Robotic Surgical System, our highly trained surgeons can perform surgery using instruments that they precisely guide through one or a handful of small incisions. The incisions are very tiny – about a half an inch, the size of a dime. The size of the incisions, along with the precise movements of the surgeon, result in less blood loss and less trauma to the surgical site.

Endowrist™ technology mimics the normal surgical motions of the human hand. The surgeon's hand, wrist and finger movements translate with precise control and range of motion via robotic arms.

Using a console to control the robotic arms that hold the surgical tools, the surgeon can bend and turn the instruments in more ways than human hands. And the surgery can be performed in spaces where the human hand would not fit. This allows the surgeon more control, precision and flexibility.

The tiny 3D camera attached to one of the robotic arms also magnifies the surgical site about 10 times larger than the human eye.

Not only does the newer version give Riverside surgeons greater access and capabilities but it also opens up the opportunity to offer a number of procedures that could not be done with the older version.

One of the most significant technology advancements is its ability to offer surgeons more flexibility in terms of operating on parts of the body that were previously not an option. We can now offer extensive colon resections, and many patients talk to us about robotic thoracic surgery, which we can now perform using this new technology. This is a revolutionary advancement for the treatment of benign and malignant tumors of the lungs, esophagus and chest wall.

There are many advantages of minimally invasive surgery using the da Vinci Xi Surgical System. A patient may experience:

• A shorter hospital stay
• Faster recovery and quicker return to normal activities
• Fewer complications
• Increased safety
• Less pain and less risk of infection
• Less scarring
• More precise surgical outcomes
• Reduced bleeding

The U. S. Food and Drug Administration first approved the da Vinci Surgical System in 2000 for general laparoscopic surgery. Since then, surgeons use the system to tackle some of the most common to the most complex surgical procedures.

Surgeons at Riverside continue to use the system effectively to treat a number of conditions. The system is used in general surgery for the removal of a gallbladder or hernia surgery or lung resection.

“Our surgeons can use the robot for oncologic gynecologic, urologic, head and neck, orthopedic, thoracic and spine surgeries as well,” says Daniel D. Munn, M.D., chief of surgery and director of trauma and acute care surgery at Riverside Regional Medical Center.

Some of the surgeries performed at Riverside using the da Vinci Xi Surgical System include:

• Colon resection
• Gastrectomy (stomach surgery)
• Hernia surgery
• Hysterectomy
• Nephrectomy and partial nephrectomy (kidney surgery)
• Nissen fundoplication (acid reflux disease surgery)
• Pancreatectomy (pancreas surgery)
• Prostatectomy (prostate surgery)
• Pyeloplasty (renal pelvis surgery)
• Revascularization
• Single-incision cholecystectomy (gallbladder surgery)