Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Doctors Use Robotics for Gynecological Surgery

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Mary Lockhart of Batavia underwent a robotic hysterectomy performed by Karen Fish, M.D., and Dan Pesch, M.D., using the da Vinci Surgical System on December 29 at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. The 38-year-old was released from the hospital the next day, went grocery shopping the day after that and five days later drove herself to work!
"I feel great," Lockhart said. "I had just four tiny incisions—the largest was 1/2-inch—and I was back to my 45-minute aerobic workout just two weeks after surgery."
Hysterectomy is the most common female surgery, with roughly 650,000 performed each year in the United States, mostly through an abdominal incision. For many patients, the use of the da Vinci Surgical System—robotic technology designed to facilitate minimally invasive surgery—offers the potential for less blood loss, fewer complications, a shorter hospital stay, less scarring and faster recovery. Additional benefits include less pain and faster return to normal activities.
The first robotic hysterectomy in Chicagoland was performed by Dr. Charles Miller, director of minimally invasive surgery and vice president of the AAGL, the world’s largest organization of minimally invasive gynecologic surgeons. "Not only have we performed robotic hysterectomies, but we have also removed fibroids, tubes, ovaries and adhesions with the robot," said Dr. Miller. "Soon I will be performing a laparoscopic tubal ligation reversal to help a couple achieve pregnancy."
Dr. Pesch, medical director of obstetrics and gynecology and director of ambulatory education at Lutheran General Hospital worked on Lockhart's procedure with Dr. Fish, M.D., a fellow trained in minimally invasive surgery. "The surgeon has greater control with the robotic system compared to conventional laparoscopy," said Dr. Pesch.
Direct, precise instrument movement through the robotic surgical system provides physicians with increased dexterity, 3-D visualization and allows for more precise suturing. “It allows surgeons to perform more complex, advanced procedures in the operating room that would otherwise require an open incision or laparoscopy," said Dr. Fish.