Robotics Help Fight Cancer

The most effective treatment for cervical, uterine or prostate cancer may involve surgery—and today, space-age technology is helping surgeons at Lehigh Valley Hospital perform these procedures in a new way.

The da Vinci® S HD™ Surgical System takes innovations developed by NASA and applies them to the operating room. Guided by high-definition images, surgeons work a console to control four robotic arms that mimic the precise movement of a surgeon’s hand.

“The system improves our visualization and dexterity and allows for a full range of motion within a confined area,” says urologic oncology surgeon Joseph Trapasso, M.D. Another benefit: surgeons can work through very small (1-2 centimeter) incisions, with better results for the patient. “Patients experience less blood loss, pain and discomfort, and they recover faster and are able to return to normal activities sooner,” says gynecologic oncology surgeon Martin Martino, M.D.

Surgical teams at the hospital use da Vinci for prostate cancer and other urologic procedures, laparoscopic hysterectomies and fertility-sparing cervical cancer surgery. The system is also useful in the treatment of uterine fibroids, kidney and bladder cancers, and ovarian abnormalities such as complex cysts. Your doctor will determine if robotic surgery is right for you.

Want to Know More about other “minimally invasive” surgeries? Call 610-402-CARE.

Published from Healthy You Magazine, September-October 2008

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