First Real-Time Broadcast of Robotic Kidney Surgery on da Vinci Si System
April 27, 2009
Dr. Michael Stifelman
The first real-time broadcast of a partial nephrectomy on the da Vinci Si® HD robotic surgical system was featured at the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association today in Chicago, IL. The surgery was performed by Dr. Michael Stifelman, Director of Robotic Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center.
The da Vinci Si® HD robotic surgical system
NYU Langone is the first institution in New York and New Jersey to install the da Vinci Si® HD technology, which provides surgeons with a 40% higher resolution view of the surgical field. The new technology also allows physicians to import and display medical test results from any networked computer or diagnostic medical device.
With this latest generation of robotic technology, the surgeon has a three-dimensional view of the surgical area through a high-definition video console that provides a 10x magnification of the operative field. The physician controls four high-tech robotic surgical arms that are placed in the patient’s body through four quarter-inch incisions in the skin. The robotic system eliminates hand tremor and allows a full range of motion in three dimensions. The da Vinci Si also permits two surgeons to participate in the operation concurrently, using networked surgical consoles.
The da Vinci Si® HD
©2009 Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
Robotic surgery at NYU Langone
Dr. Stifelman has conducted extensive research on robotic partial nephrectomy. He was one of the first physicians in the U.S. to perform this type of surgery, which is used to treat diseases such as kidney cancer and renal cysts. Traditionally, kidney surgery was performed by removing the entire kidney through open or laparoscopic surgery. Robotic surgery offers significant advantages over both of these operations. Compared with open surgery, robotic surgery uses a smaller incision and does not require cutting through muscle or bone. In addition, robotic surgery permits a three-dimensional view of the operative field—compared with laparoscopy’s two-dimensional view—and allows for a much wider range of motion of the surgical instruments, facilitating complex surgical operations.
In addition to the technical advantages of robotic surgery, Dr. Stifelman’s research has shown that patients who had robotic partial neprectomy fared better than those who underwent laparoscopic nephrectomy. The former experienced less blood loss, quicker overall recovery time, and a shorter time in which the kidney was cut off from blood flow, compared with patients who had laparoscopic kidney surgery.
Dr. Stifelman and his team at NYU Langone Medical Center have played a pioneering role in robotic partial nephrectomy. The minimally invasive approach of this operation allows patients to return to work and daily activities more quickly than traditional open surgery. In addition, by allowing patients to retain part of their functioning kidney, it reduces the possibility of chronic kidney disease later in life.
