Robotic surgery for gynaecology at Queen Alexandra Hospital
Robotic surgery is an upgraded form of minimally invasive
(keyhole) surgery and is associated with major patient benefits.
Robotic surgery for gynaecology
Mr
Brinkmann is the clinical lead for gynaecological cancer in Portsmouth and has
led the implementation of robotic surgery for gynaecology at Queen Alexandra
Hospital. He uses the robotic system for complex, minimally-invasive operations
for malignant female pelvic conditions, such as cancer of the uterus and
cervix. Whenever possible, he operates with the robot to reduce patient
discomfort, promote more rapid healing and minimise the impact of surgery on
cancer patients.
After robotic surgery, many patients experience less
post-operative pain, reduced scarring, fewer complications, fewer requirements
for blood transfusion, fewer instances of infection and a faster return to
normal activities compared with other surgical approaches. Reduced pain medication is required after
robotic surgery because there is less tissue trauma during the operation.
It also has the enhanced benefit of offering fertility
preserving surgery for certain patients who still want to have a family after
treatment. This was often not possible before.
Also some women who aren't candidates for open or standard
laparoscopic surgery may be candidates for robotic surgery. This is
particularly true of larger women who are often not considered suitable for
laparoscopic surgery due to their size.
Robotic versus open surgery
The majority of women with cancer in the UK are treated with
open surgery, which inherently has increased wound complications and a
significantly longer recovery time.
Currently patients with womb cancer take about two to three
months to recover from an operation. After robotic surgery a patient can
leave hospital the day after her procedure.
Most women with cervical cancer still have an open operation but
this complex surgery is well suited to the robotic approach and we have had
excellent patient outcomes in this area.
The robotic operation is more precise than conventional surgery
and it allows a patient to return to normal activities much more quickly.
Less invasive, more precise, faster recovery
In robotic surgery, Mr Brinkmann operates through small
incisions using the surgical robot. It allows him to perform many complex
procedures with more precision, flexibility and control than standard open
surgical and laparoscopic techniques. The robotic instruments are more
flexible and offer a greater range of movement than standard laparoscopic
tools. Also the visual enhancement offered
by the robot technology is significantly better so it becomes possible to
execute delicate and complex procedures that may have been difficult or
impossible with other techniques.
Queen Alexandra Hospital is the first hospital in the UK to
launch the surgical robot across five specialities. This means there is a strong possibility that
Portsmouth may become a European training centre for the da Vinci robot and a
United Kingdom Centre of Excellence. This has enormous benefits for
patients, hospital staff and our community.
It is a great privilege to be part of such a visionary
hospital. When all is said and done many hundreds of patients on the
South East coast and Channel Islands can experience the significant benefits of
this ground-breaking surgery and the life-changing transformations it offers.
Please support the Rocky Appeal if you can to ensure this
cutting edge technology continues to benefit our wider community.