Minimally Invasive da Vinci® Robotic Assisted Surgery

Surgery Enabled by da Vinci®

You've just been diagnosed with a condition requiring surgery. Until very recently your options included traditional surgery with a large open incision or laparoscopy, which uses small incisions but is typically limited to very simple procedures.

Thanks to a breakthrough surgical technology, Dr. Kenneth Finkelstein, Dr. Karen Johnson, and Dr. Nichole Butler can now offer patients a revolutionary new type of minimally invasive surgery for which you may be a candidate. It is an effective, minimally invasive alternative to both open surgery and laparoscopy. Through the use of the da Vinci® Surgical System, surgeons are now able to offer a minimally invasive option for complex surgical procedures.

Imagine major surgery performed through the smallest of incisions. Imagine having the benefits of a definitive treatment but with the potential for significantly less pain, a shorter hospital stay, faster return to normal daily activities – as well as the potential for better clinical outcomes.

With the da Vinci® Surgical System, surgeons and hospitals are re-writing accepted standards for surgical care. da Vinci is changing the experience of surgery.

It is important to know that surgery with da Vinci does not place a robot at the controls; your surgeon is controlling every aspect of the surgery with the assistance of the da Vinci robotic platform.

da Vinci® is changing the experience of surgery…for the surgeon… the hospital…and most importantly… for the patient.

Dr. Finkelstein, Dr. Johnson and Dr. Butler are certified da Vinci® Robotic surgeons.

Robots are Revolutionizing Women's Surgery

da Vinci® Robotic Procedures

• da Vinci® Hysterectomy
• da Vinci® Myomectomy
• da Vinci® Sacrocolpopexy

Information provided by da Vinci® Robotic Surgery web site

When medication and non-invasive procedures are unable to relieve symptoms, surgery remains the accepted and most effective treatment for a range of gynecologic conditions. These include, but are not limited to, cervical and uterine cancer, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, uterine prolapse and menorrhagia or excessive bleeding.

Traditional open gynecologic surgery, using a large incision for access to the uterus and surrounding anatomy, has for many years been the standard approach to many gynecologic procedures. Yet with open surgery can come significant pain, trauma, a long recovery process and threat to surrounding organs and nerves. For women facing gynecologic surgery, the period of pain, discomfort and extended time away from normal daily activities that usually follows traditional surgery can understandably cause significant anxiety.

Fortunately, Women's Healthcare of Illinois physicians specialize in less invasive options. Some gynecologic procedures enable surgeons to access the target anatomy using a vaginal approach, which may not require an external incision. But for complex hysterectomies and other gynecologic procedures, robot-assisted surgery with the da Vinci® Surgical System may be the most effective, least invasive treatment option. Through tiny, 1-2 cm incisions, surgeons using the da Vinci System* can operate with greater precision and control, minimizing the pain and risk associated with large incisions while increasing the likelihood of a fast recovery and excellent clinical outcomes.