Robotic Surgery

Surgery using the da Vinci™ robotic system is the most advanced, least invasive surgical method available to women today. A hysterectomy performed with the da Vinci™ robotic system may result in less scarring, less pain, less infections, and less blood loss than traditional surgical methods. Patients undergoing robotic surgery can expect shorter hospital stays, usually of just one night, and a faster return to their normal life activities. The da Vinci™ Surgical System enables our surgeons to perform advanced simple and radical surgeries with unmatched precision and control – using only a few small incisions.

The robot does not move without our skilled surgeons to direct its motions. Using special dyes and robotic fluorescent technology, we can more confidently and successfully isolate even small cancer cells during sentinel lymph-node mapping procedures. Robotic surgery is one of the many tools we use to expertly treat our patients and get our patients back to what matters most—LIFE!

Together, our physicians have performed thousands of procedures using this technology. Dr. Finkelstein is New Mexico’s leading Gynecologic Oncologist, certified in the use of the da Vinci™ robotic-assisted surgical system and has done more procedures robotically than 95% of surgeons nationally. Dr. Wisner has participated and authored many of the papers supporting the use of daVinci technology in sentinel lymph node mapping for women with cancer.

For most patients, robotic surgery can offer numerous potential benefits over traditional approaches to vaginal, laparoscopic or open abdominal hysterectomy, particularly when performing more challenging procedures like radical hysterectomy for gynecologic cancer. Potential benefits include:

  • Significantly less pain
  • Less blood loss
  • Better surveillance of the entire abdomen and pelvic area
  • Fewer complications
  • Less scarring
  • A shorter hospital stay
  • A faster return to normal daily activities

Less scarring
A shorter hospital stay
A faster return to normal daily activities

The da Vinci Surgical System is a state-of-the-art robotic technology designed to help your surgeon perform a more precise, minimally invasive procedure.

The daVinci system was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for gynecologic surgery in 2005, is one of the newest technologies available for the treatment of gynecologic problems including hysterectomy and ovarian surgery for cancer and other conditions.

The daVinci system offers all the benefits of laparoscopic surgery along with increased precision and effectiveness. Patients undergoing laproscopic procedures typically experience less pain, have fewer instances of infection and recover more quickly than those undergoing open surgery.

We perform a wide variety of gynecological procedures with minimally invasive robotic surgery, including:

  • Hysterectomies (benign or cancer)
  • Surgery for cervical, ovarian, and endometrial cancers
  • Staging or Re-staging procedures
  • Lymph node dissections and sentinel lymph node mapping
  • Ovarian cysts and masses
  • Surgery for endometriosis

For patients, robotic hysterectomy can offer numerous potential benefits over traditional approaches to vaginal, laparoscopic or open abdominal hysterectomy, particularly when performing more challenging procedures like radical hysterectomy for gynecologic cancer.

Potential benefits include:

  • Significantly less pain
  • Less blood loss
  • Fewer complications
  • Less scarring
  • A shorter hospital stay
  • A faster return to normal daily activities

Moreover, robotic hysterectomy provides our surgeons with a superior tool for dissection and removal of lymph nodes during cancer operations, as compared to traditional open or minimally invasive approaches.

Robotic hysterectomy also provides our surgeons with better visualization of anatomy, which is especially critical when working around delicate and confined structures like the bladder, or in patients with adhesions or difficult anatomy due to masses or cancer.

The robotic system consists of interactive mechanical arms, a camera arm, a three-dimensional (3D) image processing system and a remote control unit.

The unit is located in the same operating room as the patient. As the surgeon manipulates the remote control unit, the motions of the surgeon are translated to the robotic arms.

Each robotic arm consists of multiple appendages connected by joints. The “hand” of the robot holds interchangeable surgical instruments that can be moved in a manner similar to a human wrist.

At all times, a second surgeon is positioned at the operating table to assist with exchanging the instruments on the robotic arms.

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