By: Robin H. Fogle, MD, ACRM
When I first heard about robotic surgery, I had a vision of R2D2 bending over a patient on an operating table, working methodically to heal the patient (cue Star Wars background music). But when I personally met “DaVinci”, the real surgical robot, I realized that this technology is no science fiction movie. And when I sat down at the DaVinci console, where the surgeon remotely operates the robots four surgical arms that are attached to instruments inserted in the patient's abdomen, I immediately understood how much better surgery could be for certain patients.
Fortunately, not many of our infertility patients require surgery. However, some patients have fibroids (benign smooth muscle tumors of the uterus) that can push on the uterine cavity, decreasing the likelihood that an embryo will grow there. In the past, these types of fibroids were often removed through an abdominal incision (like a c-section scar) which required several days of recovery in the hospital and another 4-6 weeks of recuperation at home. However, with the robot available, these fibroids can often be removed through small abdominal incisions which allow the patient to go home the day after surgery and return to work 1-2 weeks later.
Some of our patients come to us to have their tubes reattached after having had a tubal ligation. This type of surgery has also been done through a large abdominal incision in the past. But now, the DaVinci robot can be used to put tubes back together using very small incisions which allows for a speedy recovery and an excellent outcome.
Though not all patients are candidates for robotic surgery, those that are could benefit dramatically from the benefits offered by this technology: increased surgeon dexterity and control, decreased blood loss during surgery, decreased postoperative pain, and shorter recovery times. ACRM offers robotic surgery for those patients that are good candidates, all in an effort to achieve our unwavering goal of helping couples grow their families.
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