By Mini Swamy TMCnet Contributor
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute is one of only 40 Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States that has been designated by the National Cancer Institute. It has been in the news recently for performing the first Robotic Thyroidectomy. Cancer surgeon, Dr. Enver Ozer performed the surgery using a minimally invasive technique, and with the assistance of robotic-arms, removed a thyroid that was diseased. The salient feature of the procedure was that it left no scars. This was because the minimally invasive technique required only four small incisions to be made, three to insert miniaturized wristed instruments and the fourth, to insert a high-definition 3D camera. The daVinci surgical system as it referred to, offers superior visualization and instrumentation compared to traditional open thyroid surgery, allowing a complete and safe removal of the thyroid. Seated comfortably at the daVinci console, the surgeon views a magnified, high-resolution 3D image of the surgical site. The surgeons hand movements are translated into precise micro-movements by the robotic-arms. Surgeons are able to perform complex and delicate procedures with great precision using this method. The advantage of the daVinci procedure is that there is very little blood loss, less pain, shorter hospital stay, and because of fewer incisions, shorter recovery time. Patients are usually discharged within three days. Only about 35 medical centers nationwide offer such minimally invasive robotic thyroidectomies, and Ozer, a head and neck cancer surgeon at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center is the first in central Ohio to perform the procedure.
“A major benefit of this type of surgery is that it doesn’t leave a scar on the patient’s neck,” Ozer,said, and added that open surgery left scars at the base of the neck. The daVinci procedure involved no neck incisions, but incisions in the armpit. A small tunnel is made under the skin and the thyroid is removed through this tunnel. Robotic assisted surgery using the daVinci robot has been performed for years for heart, prostate and gynecologic conditions. Ohio State surgeons were the first in North America to perform a robotic-assisted procedure with the daVinci robot. Ohio State physicians perform about 1,200 robotic surgeries a year.
In addition, Ohio state is also credited with having the most experienced robotic surgical team, offering the most comprehensive robotic programs. Experts, who can perform heart, head and neck, gynecologic and urologic robotic surgery for both malignant and benign conditions, also hail from Ohio.
Director Dr. Ronney Abaza at the center of Advanced robotic surgery in the state of Ohio, said that Ozer was one of the 25 skilled surgeons at the center who had expertise in more than 70 robotic procedures for more than 25 conditions. Ozer is also one of the charter members of the Society of Robotic Surgery, which is a global society founded on the fundamental principles of education and collaboration as a means to tackle the complex issues of robotic surgery.
As of now,The American Cancer Society estimates that about 38,000 cases of thyroid cancer are expected to be diagnosed in the United States in the year 2010, and it is estimated that about 1,600 will succumb to the disease. It is generally regarded as one of the least deadly of cancers, and is said to affect younger people between the ages of 25 and 55. According to the American Cancer Society, the chance of being diagnosed with thyroid cancer has risen slightly in recent years. This is because with the use of the thyroid ultrasound, it is possible to detect small nodules, that might otherwise have gone undetected.
Mini Swamy is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Erin Monda
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