First Australian Single Incision Robotic Hysterectomy Procedure

Surgeons at Westmead Private Hospital in Sydney have conducted the first ever single site robotic hystectomy procedure.

Performed by  gynaecologist  Dr  Felix  Chan,  the innovative  procedure,  conducted using  the  da  Vinci  Surgical  System  and  single  site  instrumentation,  looks  set  to  be  the way of the future for hysterectomies in Australia.

“The  first  procedure  went  very  smoothly,”  said  Dr  Chan.  “The  team  worked  really  well together  and  the  patient  was  stable  throughout.   "I  most  definitely  think  this  technology  will  be  the  way  of  the  future  both  for robotic surgery but also for performing hysterectomies in Australia."

Approximately  22,000  hysterectomies  are  performed  in  Australia  each  year,  with  the majority  performed  using  either  an  open  abdominal  or  laparoscopic  approach  which involves patients spending on average  three  to seven days in hospital and taking six to eight  weeks  to  recover.  The  single  site  incision  not  only  appears  to  aid  recovery  but  is cosmetically more appealing when compared to a conventional hysterectomy approach.

Dr Chan said the robotic hysterectomy procedure, which was carried out on two patients, saw both women’s reproductive organs removed via a single two centimetre incision  to the  naval, is a far more advanced and efficient form of laparoscopic surgery that significantly reduces operating time for surgeons and recovery  time for patients.

“It  takes  less  time,  and causes  minimal  pain,  meaning  the  patient’s  recovery  time  is  significantly  shortened. "Also,  because  there’s  only  a  small  cut  to  the  abdomen,  there’s  less  chance  of  infection  and minimal bleeding.”

Camden dentist Dr Theresa Truong, who was the first patient in Australia to undergo the robotic  procedure,  was  thrilled  with  her  results.  Undergoing  the  hysterectomy  to  lessen her chances of ovarian cancer after already overcoming breast cancer,  she said she had no pain.

“My friends had all told me to expect to stay in hospital a week and to expect some pain but  when  I  woke  from  the  operation  I  remember  turning  to  the  nurse  and  asking  ‘where’s  the  pain?’  I’m  still  waiting  for  it  now,  but  there’s  been  none,”  she  said.

Dr  Chan’s  second  patient,  Bowral  local,  Katherine  Thorpe  is  just  as  pleased  with  her surgery’s  outcome,  despite  being  initially  apprehensive  about  being  one  of  the  first  in Australia to receive the procedure.

“I  was  quite  nervous  about  being  one  of  the  first,  but  I  figured  if  everybody  thought ‘because  it’s  new  I  won’t  have  a  go’  well  then  no  new  procedures  would  come  about, would  they?”  she  said.

“Robotic  assisted  surgery,  which  is  also  used  extensively  in  urology  and  colorectal surgery, is the next phase in the evolution of minimally invasive surgery and healthcare in  Australia,”  said  Tim  Daniel,  the  hospital’s  Chief  Executive  Officer.  “We  believe  this positions our facility at the forefront of robotic surgery in Australia.”