Robotic Surgery
TUCC surgeons lead the region in performing urologic robotic surgery, having performed more than 5,000 procedures since 2006.
Each year, TUCC surgeons perform the highest number of robotic ureteral reimplantations and vesicovaginal fistula repairs in the Rocky Mountain region. In 2011, TUCC physician Elias Hsu, M.D., performed the first robotic-assisted laparoscopic vesicovaginal fistula repair in Denver.
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. Using the minimally invasive da Vinci robotic surgical system, surgeons performing a robotic surgery make 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. In cases of vesicovaginal fistula repair, this allows surgeons to identify and repair the tissue causing the fistula.