The chief surgeon of minimally invasive surgery at UC San Diego Health Systems performed a surgical procedure for the removal of the diseased gallbladder through the belly button of the patient.
Santiago Horgan, MD, chief of minimally invasive surgery, UC San Diego performing groundbreaking surgery. Click on photo to watch video of procedure.
The surgery was performed with the help of the da Vinci Surgical System, with just a single incision. The entire procedure lasted only 60 minutes and the patient was able to go home five hours after the surgery. The patient was very comfortable during and after surgery and reported minimum pain.
The surgeon explained that by performing minimally invasive surgery with the da Vinci Robotic System, he intended to reduce the discomfort for the patient, the scarring and also the duration of hospital stay. In surgical procedures such as gallbladder removal the da Vinci system proves to be very helpful. Intuitive Surgical, the makers of the da Vinci System, had received the FDA approval for the system for performing cholecystectomy procedures. By using the da Vinci system surgeons are able to perform these procedures by making a single incision of length 1”. Another surgeon explained that with the da Vinci system he was able to perform surgeries with improved precision and able to control the tools with increased dexterity. Surgical removal of gallbladder and appendix, sleeve gastrectomy, oesophageal surgery etc is performed at the hospital using the da Vinci System. Apart from gastroenterological procedures, robotic surgical techniques are used for treating colon, kidney, prostate cancer and heart repairs and transplants.