14 DAY TRIAL // Robotic surgery was a thing of science-fiction just a few decades ago, and yet now people barely notice that their operation is conducted by a machine. In some cases, using automated systems to perform intricate procedures carries a higher success rate than if human surgeons would do the exact same thing. Robotic oncologists have made their way in some of the world's most renowned hospitals, and such a robotic system can now also be found at the University of California in Irvine (UCI).
The UCI Robotic Oncology Center now features a da Vinci Surgical System, which is a robot that can perform a variety of surgeries. Included in its “skill” sheet is performing thyroidectomies, procedures in which the diseases, cancerous thyroid is taken out of patients' necks. The machine is so good at this job that the operations it carries out seldom leave behind any kind of noticeable scar. This minimally invasive treatment provides the same results regardless of the area of specialization in which da Vinci is used.
“We’re excited to be able to offer this kind of surgery to the Orange County community. Traditional ‘open’ surgery to remove the thyroid gland requires a 3- to 5-inch incision across the front of the neck, and other minimally invasive surgical techniques can reduce the scar to about 1 inch. But with the robot, we avoid the neck incision altogether by making a small, easily hidden cut in the patient’s armpit. That opening provides access for the robot’s arms, which then are maneuvered by the surgeon to the thyroid.” UCI associate clinical professor of otolaryngology Dr. Jason H. Kim says. The expert, who also specializes in treating head and neck cancers, already used the da Vinci system on three patients with thyroid tumors.
“To our knowledge, there isn’t another center in the country specific to robotic oncology. This center is vitally important to our community,. Typically, cancer involves radical procedures. The Robotic Oncology Center emphasizes minimally invasive approaches that achieve equal or better medical outcomes,” says the director of the Robotic Oncology Center, UCI urologic oncologist Dr. Thomas E. Ahlering. The expert has performed more than 1,000 surgeries thus far, all on patients with prostate cancer, or who suffered from postoperative urinary difficulties.