Dec 3 2010
A group of surgeons headed by Dr. Inderbir Gill, Founding Director of the USC Institute of Urology, have carried out the first ever robotic kidney surgeries at the USC Keck School of Medicine.
Gill has stated that robotic technology will turn out to be the standard for future medical procedures. He mentioned that robotics has the ability to enhance the work of the human hand and soon it will outshine surgeons in terms of adroitness and efficiency. He added that it is so consistent and can extend itself to reach even tight spaces.
One of the patients was identified with a renal artery aneurysm when she was 17 and she has been surviving with a single kidney. Gill has mentioned that performing surgery for such a patient was highly challenging because if things do not proceed as planned, then the patient should be on dialysis for the rest of her life.
The other patient was identified with tumors on both the kidneys. Gill has mentioned that after taking a few CAT scans, they recreated 3-D images obtained from the scans with the help of USC’s innovative software, followed by developing a virtual real-time illustration of the cancer, which enabled him to comprehend precisely as to how to remove the tumor.
The team of doctors who worked under Gill in performing these procedures include Dr. Casey Ng, Dr. Mukul Patil, Dr. Osamu Ukimura and computer engineer Dr. Masahiko Nakamoto.