The robotic approach involves five small incisions, about half an inch where ports for the surgical instruments and one for the 3-D camera are inserted. During an operation the surgeon looks into two full-color screens that magnify the field 10 times. Because the image is 3-D, the doctor feels as if he is working inside the patient when he is actually 8 feet away sitting at a console. The instruments are inserted through the ports. Each instrument is just about 5mm or 8mm across, about half the diameter of a dime, and has the full rotation of a human wrist.
The Davinci robotic system has the advantage of better visualization, less blood loss, lower complication rates , less pain after surgery and shorter recovery times. Most women for example, who underwent a hysterectomy, went home either the same day or the next day and were fully recovered within 3 weeks.
Patients like JS, a woman who was referred by her primary care doctor, had been told she would need a large incision to remove a uterus with fibroid tumors the size of a large grapefruit. She underwent a robotic assisted hysterectomy through five small incisions and was discharged home the following day.
With many women leading busy lives and not having the luxury of weeks of downtime, the Davinci robotic system is an advanced technology that provides a less invasive approach for women who are candidates for surgery.
The author, Lino A. Ossanna, MD.,FACOG, is the Medical Director of Women’s Health Now, Ob/Gyn in Queen Creek. He has been certified to perform Robotic surgeries since 2007. Dr. Ossanna is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Association, the Arizona Medical Association and the International College of Surgeons. You can view Dr. Ossanna performing a robotic surgery at www.womenshealthnow.net, click on images and video. Dr. Ossanna may be contacted at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or calling 480-888-7271.
