TUCC performs more robotic surgeries for urologic conditions than any other medical group in the region.
Minimally invasive da Vinci® robotic surgical procedures are important treatment options for most urologic conditions and cancers. TUCC surgeons lead the region in performing prostate and urologic robotic surgery, having performed more than 3,500 of these procedures since 2006.
Our surgeons specialize in all types of robotic urologic surgery including:
- Robotic prostatectomies for prostate cancer
- Partial nephrectomies for kidney cancer and benign kidney conditions
- Radical nephrectomies for kidney cancer
- Pyeloplasties for UPJ (ureteropelvic junction) obstruction
- Radical cystectomies for bladder cancer
- Sacrocolpopexy (repair of vaginal prolapse)
- Ureteral repairs for ureteral strictures and injuries
- Robotic simple prostatectomies for non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate (BPH)
The da Vinci system includes a robot and a surgeon console. The robot’s four arms are positioned over the patient during surgery. Small robotic instruments move inside the patient’s body to perform delicate surgical maneuvers. The surgeon console is a separate unit that controls the movements of the robot inside the body and gives surgeons a magnified, high-definition and 3-D view of the surgical site. By utilizing robotic technology, a surgeon’s hand movements are motion scaled and any hand tremor is filtered resulting in perfectly translated, precise movements of the instruments. At all times, the surgeon is in complete control of the robotic instrument’s movements.
In contrast to conventional surgical methods which require one large 6-10 inch incision, patients undergoing robotic surgeries have several ½ inch (key-hole) incisions through which the surgery is performed. During the surgery, a telescopic camera lens is inserted into one of the small incisions for pristine vision, allowing the surgeon to preserve the nerves, normal tissues and surrounding muscle. The cancerous tissue is then removed from the body through one of the small incisions.
There are many benefits to robotic surgery including shorter hospital stays, quicker recovery times, faster return to normal activity and work, less pain and decreased blood loss. Numerous medical studies have shown that a patient’s surgical outcomes with the robot are equal or superior to traditional open surgical procedures for the same urologic conditions.
YouTube Link: Robotic Surgery for Prostate Cancer
Why should you choose TUCC for your robotic surgery?
- TUCC surgeons perform more robotic urologic surgical procedures than any other group in the Rocky Mountain region.
- Dr. Jones performs the most robotic kidney surgeries in the Rocky Mountain region.
- Dr. Jones is only surgeon performing robotic donor nephrectomies for kidney donor patients in the Rocky Mountain region while serving as the primary donor surgeon for the Presbyterian St. Luke’s Transplant Center.
- In 2011, Dr. Hsu performed the first robotic-assisted laparoscopic simple prostatectomy for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in Colorado and the first robotic-assisted laparoscopic vesicovaginal fistula repair in Denver.
- In 2010, TUCC surgeons were the first robotic surgeons to perform a robotic radical cystectomy for bladder cancer in Denver.
- In 2003, TUCC surgeons were among the first to begin performing robotic prostatectomies in the Rocky Mountain region and maintain the largest volume of surgeries for this type of robotic surgery.
- TUCC performs da Vinci robotic surgeries at Swedish Medical Center Surgical Robotics Institute.
If you are considering open or robotic urologic surgery with your regular urologist, for your piece of mind, get a second opinion from the most experienced team in the region.
