Surgeons and medical staff at
Henry Ford Hospital have pioneered a new robotic medical device that should help increase the success rate of removing cancer from kidneys.
A team led by Dr. Craig Rogers, director of Renal Surgery at the
Henry Ford Vattikuti Urology Institute, have successful used a robotically controlled ultrasound probe to remove cancerous tumors from a kidney. The probe allows for more precision by the surgeons by giving those doctors more control over the procedure, a development Dr. Rogers is calling a game changer.
"We haven't seen a trace of cancer left by this robotic controlled probe," Dr. Rogers says, adding the new device has been used in more than 30 cases so far.
Typically, a surgeon controls the working end of the probe with a joystick-like device while an assistant holds and manaveurs it near the incision. This new robotic device eliminates the need for the assistant to operate the probe at all, giving complete control of the probe. This advance helps eliminate the possibility of some human error.
"It's a choreographed dance (the traditional procedure) where you're assistant has to read your mind to make the right placement," Dr. Rogers says.
Source: Dr. Craig Rogers, director of Renal Surgery at the Henry Ford Vattikuti Urology Institute
Writer: Jon Zemke
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