The Urology Department at Shaare Zedek Medical Center performs a variety of Laparoscopic (micro-invasive) operations. Some of this surgery is regularly performed using the da Vinci Robot – an advanced robot enabling access to places in the body normally difficult to get to, such as deep inside the pelvis, and used in procedures demanding very slight and precise movements, such as stitching inside the body.
The robotic system is built from two units:
- The surgeon’s unit, or the console, at which the surgeon sits with his or her head close to the machine, observing the pictures broadcast directly and magnified through the camera together with other data supplied by the machine. The surgeon holds two ‘steering wheels’ and is in control of a ‘brakes table.’
- The patient’s unit, made from four arms to which a laparoscopic camera and end devices are connected, accurately imitates the surgeon’s exact hand movements. The mini-camera broadcasts 3-D pictures to the surgeon’s console, which the surgeon then uses to navigate in the operating area.
A computer and an adapter connect the two units.
The surgery is performed according to all the principles of Laparoscopic Surgery and the patient benefits from all the advantages of micro-invasive surgery. There are even operations that could not have been performed laparoscopically before the advent of the robot, such as partial or full amputation of the kidney.
Other surgery performed with the help of the robot: reconstructive operations on the kidneys. bladder and urinary pouch, prostate removal (in cases of prostate cancer) and urinary pouch removal (in cases of bladder cancer.)