Augusta, GA - A surgical team at Doctors Hospital, Augusta, performed the first da Vinci
Led by Cristian M. Thomae, M.D., the team removed the uterus using Single-Site™ instruments on a da Vinci® Si System. The minimally invasive procedure is traditionally performed laparoscopically or robotically using multiple small incisions, or by one large incision in an open surgery. Using robotic assistance, surgeons completed the procedure through one small incision in the patient’s belly button.
Dr. Thomae is the first benign Gynecologist in Georgia and one of the first in the country to perform this procedure. “Neither robotic surgery or single-incision surgery is new, but combining the two to remove the uterus requires additional training and special equipment,” says Dr. Thomae. “To be the first hospital in Augusta to offer this technically advanced surgery demonstrates why Doctors Hospital is a Center of Excellence in Women’s Health Surgery. I am honored to be the first physician in Augusta to perform this procedure. Most importantly, I am excited to be able to offer our patients a less invasive and more cosmetic option for robotic surgery.”
Potential benefits of Single-Site hysterectomy may include virtually scar-less results, minimal pain, low blood loss, fast recovery, a short hospital stay and high patient satisfaction. The surgery can be performed in about one hour with a typical hospital stay of one night.
During the procedure, the surgeon sits comfortably at a console, viewing a 3D, high-definition image of the patient’s anatomy. The surgeon uses controls below the viewer to move the instrument arms and camera. In real-time, the system translates the surgeon’s hand, wrist and finger movements into more precise movements of the miniaturized instruments inside the patient. Unlike traditional robotic surgeries requiring three to five small incisions, this new technology allows for a single incision in the belly button where instruments are placed and the uterus is removed.
Doctors Hospital offers various types of robotic-assisted surgeries. In addition to hysterectomies and other gynecological procedures, Doctors Hospital surgeons perform robotic-assisted surgery in Urology and General Surgery, and Colorectal procedures. Doctors Hospital also offers a wide range of minimally invasive surgeries.
For information on robotic and other minimally invasive surgeries at Doctors Hospital call (706) 651-4343.