Robot-assisted surgery effective for kidney patients

February 22nd, 2010 - 5:07 pm ICT by ANI  

Washington, Feb 22 (ANI): Robot-assisted surgery is more advantageous than laparoscopic surgery in repairing kidney blockages that prevent urine from draining normally to the bladder, as it is faster and causes less blood loss, according to a new study.

Ashok Hemal, a urologic surgeon from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, compared laparoscopic and robot-assisted surgery for curing uretero-pelvic junction obstruction.

After following 60 patients for the patients for 18 months, he found that both options were equally successful, but the robot-assisted technique was more advantageous.

It was noticed that on average, robot-assisted surgery was 50 percent faster (98-minute versus 145-minute average) and resulted in 60 percent less blood loss (40ml versus 101ml average).

It also required a two-day hospital stay, versus 3.5 days for laparoscopic surgery.

Hemal, director of the Robotic and Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery Program at Wake Forest Baptist, said: “This was one of the first studies where a single surgeon at one center performed both types of surgery and compared the results.

“It allows for a more accurate comparison of surgical options than multiple physicians performing the surgeries. The results showed that robot-assisted surgery had significant advantages for this condition. It is also generally easier for surgeons to learn.”

In the robot-assisted surgery, the surgeon sits at a console and uses hand and finger movements to control centimeter-size instruments while viewing the surgical site on a screen, unlike laparoscopic surgery, in which the surgeon directly manipulates a viewing device and operating instruments inserted into the abdomen.

Hemal said: “The evolution of laparoscopic surgery in urology has been limited because it is technically challenging and requires the surgeon to be proficient in advanced suturing.

“Robot-assisted surgery offers a way of overcoming some of the major impediments of laparoscopic surgery. This study shows the two options are equally effective and that robot-assisted surgery has several advantages.”

The study has been published in the Canadian Journal of Urology. (ANI)

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