Robotic-Assisted Surgery

Treating a Variety of Health Conditions

Conditions

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a condition that may require surgery, you owe it to yourself to learn about all of your medical options, including the most effective, least invasive surgical treatments available.

Minimally invasive, robotic-assisted surgery allows our surgeons to perform many kinds of major surgery with less patient pain, minimal scarring, faster recovery and shorter hospital stays. Robotic technology takes surgery beyond the limits of the human hand, introducing precise, versatile instrument movement combined with three-dimensional visualization of the operative site.

Today, robotic-assisted surgery is the least invasive and often most effective procedure available. Addressing the shortcomings of other types of procedures, robotic-assisted surgery offers many advantages to both the patient and the doctor. It combines the effective control of open surgery with the less invasive approach of laparoscopy.

Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson & St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center are leaders in Minimally Invasive Robotic-Assisted Surgery for a variety of health conditions using the DaVinci and the MAKO surgical systems.

  • Bariatric Surgery
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Colorectal Surgery
  • General Surgery
  • Gynecologic Surgery
  • Head & Neck Surgery
  • LINX (Acid Reflux Surgery)
  • Thoracic Surgery
  • Urologic Surgery
  • Oncologic Surgery
  • Orthopedic Surgery
  • Sports Medicine

Robotic Abdominal Surgery
Our surgeons are using the robot to perform the most complicated abdominal procedures, including surgery for pancreatic and adrenal tumors, gastric cancers, hernias and removal of the spleen.

The robot allows the surgeons to access the smallest areas of the abdomen with unparalleled flexibility and precision. Robotic technology helps surgeons make smaller incisions, which translates to less scarring, less blood loss and fewer transfusions for patients. The robotic instruments give surgeons magnified, real-time images inside the abdominal cavity, allowing them to see microscopic details on the blood vessels and organs. This enhanced view means that they operate with greater clarity and accuracy.

Surgeries that once required large incisions and lengthy recoveries are now performed through tiny holes – making the procedures easier and less painful and allowing patients to return to their normal activities faster. The robot has transformed the way our doctors operate on the abdomen and the way our patients recover.

Robotic Kidney Surgery
Our urologic surgeons use the robot to remove cancerous tumors of the kidneys and to treat benign kidney conditions. Traditional open kidney surgery requires a large incision, which often is very painful. Another approach, conventional laparoscopy, limits the surgeon’s dexterity, visualization and control over the operating instruments.

With the robot’s three-dimensional images, surgeons see an enhanced view of the kidney and are able to maneuver carefully around the organ and blood vessels. They can remove a mass or blockage through tiny incisions, suture the area with less scarring and often preserve kidney function. This allows patients to return to normal activities with fewer post-surgical kidney complications.

Using the robot, our surgeons are setting new standards in the treatment of kidney disease and kidney cancer.

Robotic Gynecologic Surgery
By overcoming the limitations of traditional and laparoscopic surgery, the robot has transformed gynecologic treatment options at St. Joseph’s. Robotic technology allows our surgeons to relieve painful, potentially harmful gynecologic conditions without a big incision.

For thousands of women, endometriosis, uterine fibroids and pelvic floor prolapse are an unpleasant fact of life. Although benign, these conditions can cause pelvic pain, uncontrollable bleeding, infertility and a fallen uterus.

While these conditions may be treated effectively with open-incision surgery, the resulting pain, scarring and lengthy recovery are difficult. When a woman requires surgery, she should know that many gynecologic conditions can be treated with minimally invasive robotic surgery. Robotic surgery also allows for uterine preservation in some cases.

The hysterectomy removes noncancerous uterine fibroids and treats endometriosis. Myomectomy, a hysterectomy alternative, removes fibroids while preserving the uterus for women who want to become pregnant.

Robotic Prostate Surgery
One of the most common treatments for prostate cancer is the surgical removal of the prostate gland. This is known as radical prostatectomy. Patients undergoing this surgery often experience more pain post-operatively, along with a large incision and lengthy recovery.

The robotic-assisted system makes operating on the sensitive anatomy of the urologic system easier and more precise. The surgeon maneuvers the instruments – some as small as a pencil tip – through tiny incisions and tight spaces in the body, helping to preserve and protect the delicate nerves surrounding the prostate gland. This also allows for a quicker return of urinary continence and sexual function.

Robotic Thoracic Surgery
The robotic-assisted surgical system has transformed the way patients experience thoracic, or chest surgery. Traditional surgery in the chest cavity can be a significant procedure and often require comprehensive rehabilitation/recovery.

The robotic-assisted system enhances thoracic surgery by enabling improved access to the chest, without the need for a long incision and spreading the ribs. The instruments navigate throughout the chest cavity to remove tumors, while minimizing damage to the chest wall and surrounding tissues. A camera magnifies the chest area and gives the surgeon an enlarged and enhanced three-dimensional view inside the body. Robotic, video-assisted surgery allows surgeons to complete surgical procedures with more accuracy and safety than conventional open or traditional minimally invasive surgery. All this allows for a quicker recovery and a shorter hospital stay – an average of three days versus eight days with traditional surgery.

Robotic Colorectal Surgery
The robotic-assisted system can also be used to treat diseases of the colon and rectum, including cancer, diverticulitis and rectal polyps. It offers our surgeons improved precision, dexterity and control in colorectal surgery – as well as multiple benefits (reduced pain and recovery) for patients.

With the robot’s high-tech, three-dimensional imaging, surgeons see deep into the confined pelvic region, examining delicate nerves and tissues. The picture, with its magnification and clarity, provides an unparalleled view of the area.

Our surgeons then maneuver the robot’s interactive arms and micro-instruments – cutting, grasping and stitching – while protecting surrounding healthy tissue. The result is an accurate procedure with fewer post-surgery complications that allows for improved outcomes and a quicker return to normal bowel function.

Robotic Throat Surgery
Throat and tongue surgeries are among the many areas treated with robotic-assisted surgery at St. Joseph’s. Surgeries of the ear, nose and throat provide effective treatment for benign tongue ailments and throat cancer.

The robotic system enables the surgeon to operate on the delicate tongue and throat areas easier and more precisely. Using the detailed vision of the system’s camera, small instruments also enable the surgeon to treat early- and moderate-stage tumors, along with benign problems associated with the tongue, without significantly impacting the patient’s face and throat.

Robotic Orthopedic Surgery
The MAKO robotic-assisted surgery system enables surgeons to provide patients with a personalized orthopedic surgical experience for hip and knee procedures. The system produces a 3D image of the hip or knee for the surgeon to use in planning the surgery. During the procedure, the surgeon guides the robotic-arm based on the patient-specific model and plan. This helps the surgeon to focus on removal of diseased bone, helping preserve healthy bone, and assists the surgeon in performing partial or total procedures of the hip and knee.