Da Vinci code: Unlocking prostate surgery mystery

By Nate Legue

BusinessRockford.com

Ray Brodeski had his cancerous prostate tumor removed by a robot.

No, it wasn’t HAL 9000-style artificial intelligence; the robotic surgical system was controlled by a human surgeon. But the robot offers a less invasive, more precise way to operate on a very sensitive, nerve-rich area.

It’s also another sign of technological advancements in medicine and the high price tag they bring. The surgical system cost Rockford Memorial Hospital about $1.8 million, said Gary Kaatz, chief executive of the health system.

But for Brodeski, 64, the robot here meant he didn’t have travel to Madison, Cleveland or Detroit and was in his own bed the day after surgery. And the sales engineer at Ingersoll Machine Tools who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer was back to work a month after his Sept. 7 surgery.

“This is a serious, serious surgery,” he said. “I can’t believe how fast I was up and walking. I can’t believe that within three days of the surgery, I walked a mile.”

The Da Vinci Surgical System uses tiny laparoscopic video cameras, scissors and clamps to operate. Run by urological surgeon Michael Fumo, the robot mimics the doctor’s movements in real time as he gazes into a video console displaying a three-dimensional image beamed from the cameras inside the patient. And it leaves six holes a little larger than the diameter of a pencil. Only one of Brodeski’s required stitches.

“We’ve turned a procedure that’s historically had a lot of complications, a very bloody procedure, and we’ve turned it into a procedure where we can see what we want to see,” Fumo said.

Traditional prostate removal requires a cut from the belly button down to the pubic bone. But the gland is behind that bone, so removing it while avoiding the bundles of nerves and major arteries in the groin area is a difficult task. Much of the actual removal work is done by feel, not sight, Fumo said.

The Da Vinci robot’s use is growing; Fumo said 50 percent to 60 percent of all prostate removals done last year used the procedure. But there are still only 550 machines in the U.S., which means many patients in rural areas have little or no access to the less invasive method. There are 19 in Illinois, and Rockford Memorial says its is the only one between Chicago and Iowa.

The new robot won’t just benefit prostate patients — the machine has been used in cardiac bypass surgery and to remove an obstruction from a kidney.

Staff writer Nate Legue may be reached at 815-987-1346 or nlegue@rrstar.com.