Robotic Surgery Reduces Recovery Time

A leading treatment for endometriosis is robotic-assisted endometrial ablations. Advantages of robotic-assisted surgery include less bleeding, lower risk of infection, less pain and minimal scarring. Patients usually experience a faster recovery. In most cases, the patient goes home the same day and is able to get back to normal daily activity much sooner than with traditional surgery.

At McLaren, surgeons are getting women back to their normal routines faster using a superior robotic surgical system. With the hospital's advanced robotic system, surgeons are able to make only small incisions in the patient's abdomen.

That's because the robotics platform has tiny instruments that replicate the movements of the human wrist, allowing the surgeon to make more precise, fine movements. These special instruments -- in miniature scale -- allow for an even greater range of motion than the human hand.

The system also projects a 3-D, high-definition image of what's going on inside the body during the procedure. Surgeons say the image of the patient's anatomy is actually clearer than with the naked eye.

Robotic tools help with even the most complicated surgeries for severe endometriosis or extensive pelvic scarring from a previous surgery.

With a robotically performed hysterectomy, patients can typically return to work in about two weeks.

A procedure that allows a woman to have fibroids or tumors removed from the uterus without losing her ability to become pregnant.

The advanced robotic instruments are especially suited to this type of procedure, allowing the surgeon to make only a small incision in the abdomen.

A complex procedure to correct uterine prolapse. The procedure supports the uterus by suspending the walls of the vagina from the back of the pelvis. In the past, hysterectomy was the recommended for prolapse treatment, but today, most doctors recommend that the uterus be re-suspended. The minimally invasive procedure using the robotic system is the gold standard for this type of surgery.

A hernia occurs when tissue pushes through an opening in your abdomen (ventral hernia) or groin area (inguinal hernia). A hernia can only be repaired with surgery.

If you and your doctor decide that a surgical repair is right for you, talk to your doctor about all of your options, including minimally invasive surgery. One option your surgeon may present is robotic-assisted surgery. Studies suggest that robotic-assisted hernia repair with the robotic surgical system may get you back to what matters most…sooner.

Gallbladder removal, known as a cholecystectomy, is the most common method for treating gallstones. Using robot-assisted surgery, only a single small incision in the belly button is needed to remove the patient's gallbladder through, making the procedure virtually scarless. The surgery can be performed in about one hour with a typical hospital stay of less than 24 hours.

Unlike traditional robotic surgeries requiring three to five small incisions, this new technology allows for a single incision where instruments are placed and the gallbladder is removed.

During the procedure, the surgeon uses robotic controls to manipulate the instruments and camera as the system translates the surgeon's hand, wrist and finger movements into more precise movements of the surgical instruments.

More than 1 million people in the U.S. have their gallbladder removed each year, typically because of gallbladder pain from gallstones and/or non-functioning gall-bladders. Most people who require gallbladder removal are candidates for the robotic, single-incision surgery.

A Rectal Cancer Surgery/Resection, also know as a Low Anterior Resection (LAR), is a robotic-assisted surgery that removes the malignant portion of a colon with cancer. It offers the following potential benefits:

• Improved cancer margins
• Less chance of surgeon switching to open surgery

One of the most common treatments for prostate cancer involves the surgical removal of the prostate gland, known as radical prostatectomy. Traditional radical prostatectomy requires a large, 8 - 10 inch incision. This open surgery commonly results in substantial blood loss, a lengthy and uncomfortable recovery and the risk of impotence and incontinence.

If your doctor recommends surgery to treat your prostate cancer, you may be a candidate for a new, less-invasive surgical procedure called, Prostatectomy.  This procedure incorporates a state-of-the-art surgical system that helps your surgeon see vital anatomical structures more clearly and to perform a more precise surgical procedure.

For most patients, Prostatectomy offers numerous potential benefits over open prostatectomy including:

If you’ve been diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, your doctor will discuss all treatment and surgical options with you. He/she may suggest surgery to remove part of your lung (lobe). The operation is called a lobectomy. It can be done using open surgery or minimally invasive surgery.

At McLaren, our surgeons offer minimally invasive robotic-assisted thoracic surgery, providing patients with a superior alternative to open surgery.

While surgery is generally the most effective way to treat disorders of the lungs and esophagus, traditional open surgery has a number of drawbacks caused primarily by the large incision required. Open thoracic surgery also spreads the ribs to access the chest cavity, leading to long recovery times of eight to twelve weeks as well as a long delay before returning to normal daily activities.

One minimally invasive surgical option is thoracoscopy, also called video-assisted thoracic surgery or VATS. Doctors insert a tiny camera and surgical instruments into your chest through small incisions. The camera sends images to a video screen to guide doctors as they operate. Another minimally invasive option for patients facing lobectomy is robotic surgery.