If this is not your name, click here.
| | If this is not your name, click here. | | |
| | Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague | | |
| |  ICTS: Robotic Assistance in Live Donor Nephrectomy By Candace Hoffmann Special to DG News HOLLYWOOD, FL -- August 29, 2002-- A robotic system for endoscopic surgery recently approved in the United States for use in laparoscopic nephrectomies appears to enhance hand eye-coordination and 3-D vision, offering surgeons greater freedom of movement and potentially, accuracy. The biggest advantage of the robot-assisted laparoscopy is the machine's arm and wrist device, which is less than a centimeter in size. According to F. Elli, MD, from the University of Chicago where research on the robotic device was carried out, it "allows for all the movement of the human hand and more." The results of a study using the "Da Vinci" robotic system was reported at the 19th International Congress of the Transplantation Society. Preliminary results indicate that using the robotic arm is safe and accurate and has the potential to become an alternative for laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. Researchers under the guidance of Santiago Horgan, MD, performed robotic-assisted laparotic procedures on 35 patients between September 2000 and February 2002. The device, remotely controlled by a surgeon, made a seven-centimeter midline incision just below the umbilicus. To allow the placement of the three articulated robotic arms, the camera and standard laparoscopic instruments, four trocars were placed in the left side of the abdomen. The procedure then proceeded in normal fashion. The operation time averaged 221 minutes, the average blood loss was 72 cc, there were no transfusions required, and the average hospital stay was about 50 hours. Ten patients had abnormal anatomy, nine with double arteries and one double vein. The average graft warm ischemia time was 1.2 minutes. There were no major complications observed in the donors. In the recipients, the allografts were effective immediately upon transplantation. The only minor events observed were two wound infections, one hematoma, and one postoperative ileus. The only learning curve involved, the researchers report, was getting used to working away from the operating field. "Once you overcome this learning curve, it's very easy," Dr. Elli said.
|
