Robotic-assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery
Penn Medicine has one of the most experienced and most active robotic surgical programs in the world.
Over the past five years, more than 4,000 robotic-assisted procedures have been performed at Penn. It is also home to a number of surgeons whose experience and expertise in robotic-assisted surgery is known around the world.
While robotic-assisted techniques are often associated with prostate surgery, Penn physicians have expanded its use into a number of different areas, including neurological and women's health issues.
Types of Robotic Minimally Invasive Procedures at Penn
With eight da Vinci® Surgical Systems, Penn has one of the largest robotic-assisted surgical programs in the U.S.
Robotic surgery procedures at Penn Medicine include:
- Partial and radical nephrectomy (removal of all or a portion of the kidney)
- Adrenalectomy (removal of the adrenal gland that sits above the kidney)
- Cystectomy (removal of all or a portion of the bladder)
- Urinary diversion
- Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (removing abdominal lymph nodes to treat testicular cancer)
- Minimally invasive spinal access for lumbosacral disc repair and spinal fusion
- Robotic-assisted prostatectomies
- TransOral Robotic Surgery (TORS) for mouth and throat surgery
- Bariatric surgery
- Cardiac valve repair
- Gynecologic procedures
Benefits of Robotic Minimally Invasive Surgery
Benefits of robotic-assisted surgery may include:
- Less post-operative pain
- Less risk of infection
- Less anesthesia
- Less blood loss
- A shorter hospital stay
- Faster and more complete recovery
- A quicker return to normal daily activities
The Penn Difference
Penn surgeons perform more and a broader range of procedures than most hospitals in the country. Penn is one of the nation's largest and most advanced robotic surgical training centers.
David Lee, MD, is one of the world's most experienced urologists in robotic-assisted prostatectomy, with more than 3,000 cases to his credit. Only three or four other surgeons in the world have achieved this distinction.
Penn Medicine developed the world's first TransOral Robotic Surgery (TORS) Program in 2004. In December of 2009 the FDA approved the use of the da vinci surgical system to perform TORS for selected malignant lesions of the throat and voice box as well as all benign disease. Since FDA approval has been achieved for TORS, research at Penn Medicine has focused on further refinement of these techniques.
