Robotic Surgery Now Available at The Medical Center 9/1/2009
The Medical Center is the first facility in Southcentral Kentucky to offer robotic minimally invasive surgery. The da Vinci® Surgical System, a $1.5 million investment, incorporates the latest advances in robotics and computer technology. The Medical Center will begin using da Vinci to treat patients with prostate cancer through prostatectomy, an operation to remove the prostate, and other urologic procedures. da Vinci will also be used for gynecologic surgery including hysterectomies.
“The da Vinci system provides surgeons with increased visibility, more precise control and a wider range of motion,” says Matthew E. Rutter, M.D., a board certified urologist with Graves-Gilbert Clinic who leads the da Vinci surgical team at The Medical Center. Dr. Rutter relocated to Bowling Green from Toledo, Ohio in August where he served as Director of Laparoscopy and Minimally Invasive Urology at the University of Toledo Medical Center and as Assistant Professor in the Department of Urology at the University of Toledo College of Medicine. Since 2007, Dr. Rutter has performed over 200 robotic surgeries with the da Vinci Surgical System.
“The da Vinci system is ideal for delicate urologic surgery like prostatectomy, where the target site is not only tightly confined but also surrounded by nerves affecting urinary control and sexual function,” said Dr. Rutter. Nerve fibers and blood vessels are attached to the prostate gland. To spare these nerves, surgeons use the precision, vision and control provided by da Vinci to delicately and precisely separate them from the prostate before its removal.
By enhancing surgical capabilities, the da Vinci Surgical System helps to improve clinical outcomes. Patients may experience the following benefits over conventional open surgery: reduced trauma to the body, reduced blood loss and need for transfusions, less post-operative pain and discomfort, less risk of infection, shorter hospital stay, faster recovery and return to normal daily activities, and less scarring. Recent studies suggest that da Vinci prostatectomy may offer improved cancer control and a lower incidence of impotence and urinary incontinence.
During a robotic procedure, the surgeon makes dime-size incisions in the patient’s abdomen and inserts a robotic arm through each opening. One arm holds a high resolution camera and the other three arms hold micro instruments. The surgeon then sits at a console a few feet from the patient. Using a binocular-like viewfinder, the surgeon views a magnified 3D image of the surgical site. The surgeon places his fingers in the controls, and his hand movements are translated into precise micro-movements of the instruments. The instruments can move 360 degrees – providing even better range of motion than the human wrist – making it much easier to access and maneuver in smaller, more intricate areas.
For more information about da Vinci prostatectomy, call Dr. Rutter at Graves-Gilbert Clinic at (270) 783-3343 or visit www.TheMedicalCenter.org/daVinci.