Diego Aguilar-Palacios, M.D.
DHR Health Urology Institute
In the year 2000, a report of the utilization of the Da Vinci robot in a 63-year-old man with prostate cancer in France was published in urological literature. Since then, adoption and application of robotic surgery has expanded worldwide. In fact, nowadays, more than 90% of surgeries to remove the prostate of men with prostate cancer are performed robotically in the United States, and similar trends are noted in multiple other urological procedures. The explanation of this phenomenon is easy: The robot facilitates the performance of complex procedures through smaller incisions and, therefore, with reduced post-surgical pain and blood loss and faster patient recovery.
Current robotic surgical systems have incorporated multiple features that allow the surgeon to perform procedures with great precision. For instance, everything starts with excellent visualization of the operative field due to high-definition, 3-D vision and 10-15 times imaging magnification. This is particularly important when targeting organs located deep in the pelvis, such as the prostate, bladder, or distal ureters. Robotic technology also eliminates natural hand tremor and allows for precise instrument-tip manipulation, imitating the human wrist, thus translating to super-fine dissections of the operated area and also facilitating sewing required for reconstruction of the operated organ.
Additionally, the surgeon operates comfortably from a surgical console, therefore reducing the surgeon’s natural fatigue, which is extremely important, especially in prolonged and mentally demanding cases.
Finally, robotic surgery is a dynamic and evolving field. The integration of artificial intelligence and robotic surgery is not far from reality. For instance, augmented reality software is being studied and will allow for incorporation and superimposition of personalized, preoperative imaging to real-time images of the operative field. This allows better intraoperative navigation and surgical planning, a feature that could be of exceptional help when extirpating tumors from highly vascularized organs, such as the kidneys.
At DHR Health Urology Institute, we are committed to providing the best surgical care for our patients without any hesitation of incorporating and applying cutting-edge technology, when necessary. For more information or to schedule your consultation, please call 956-362-8767.
