Our Lady of the Lake Robotic Surgery Institute began performing procedures using the new Da Vinci Single Port (SP) robot on Feb. 19. Surgeons use the technology to perform procedures via one single incision or opening in the body, providing heightened precision and minimal impact on the patient.
Our Lady of the Lake Robotic Surgery Institute houses one of only 170 SPs in the world. The SP contrasts with traditional surgery robots that require multiple ports of entry to the body by using one access point for all four instruments.
Sagar Kansara, MD, Rula Mualla, MD, and Michael Dileo, MD, head and neck oncologic surgeons, were the first to use the SP Robot in an operation at Our Lady of the Lake for a successful cancer resection at the base of the tongue. The patient is recovering and expected to quickly return to their everyday life.
“Classic surgical techniques for excision of tongue base cancers are quite morbid,” said Kansara. “With the SP robot, we are able to gain surgical access to the oropharynx, a site which has been traditionally very challenging to treat.”
In addition to specialized SP procedures, surgeons at Our Lady of the Lake Robotic Surgery Institute use the Da Vinci XI machine to perform minimally invasive surgery — from advanced cancer treatment to hernia and gallbladder removal to surgical weight loss.